Sweetwater
by WrittenByMeow
Summary: Johnny is a long-time patron of Sweetwater, the bar Zoe owns and operates. They've known each other for years but it wasn't until her brother becomes a Cobra that they actually get to know each other. It wasn't until then that Tallulah started to notice Aisha.
1. Chapter 1

As a bartender, one is not supposed to have favorites. Bartenders are supposed to be friendly but unattached with everyone. This way everyone felt as if they were special, but not quite enough to push their luck. Favorites led to unpaid tabs and biases during altercations. But, if Zoe was being honest, there was one patron she preferred.

Johnny Lawrence had been coming to Sweetwater since before Zoe inherited the bar. He'd been polite and respectful to her back when she had been just wiping down tables. She remembered the first time that he stepped in when another patron hadn't been so respectful to her. It wasn't the last time, either. Nobody had messed with the waitresses at Sweetwater in a long while.

Over the years, they had swapped stories and jokes alike. Johnny was one of the funniest people she knew. He was also one of the most clueless. Anything that came out after 1991 was a foreign concept to him. It could be frustrating at times. Luckily for him, Zoe found it more endearing than anything else.

When Johnny walked in through the front door, a smile lit up Zoe's face. She couldn't resist.

"Hey, Johnny," she greeted. "Haven't seen you in a while. I like the new look."

His hand flew to his cheek. He wiped at the smooth skin absently as he took his usual stool at the bar. "Trying something out," he grunted. The stack of yellow papers he carried in hit the counter with a smack.

She made a noncommittal noise as she prepared his usual drink. Another compliment was on the tip of her tongue. She bit it back, not wanting to come off as flirting. It was hardly fair. Clean shaven suited him.

Instead, she set the beer down in front of him and said, "Cheers to that."

He raised his glass in her direction and took a deep swig.

He cleared his throat. "I actually didn't come for the drink today," he admitted.

Curious, she tipped her head and rested her fist on her hip. The cleaning rag dangled against her leg. "Oh? What did you come for then?"

"I was wondering if it was alright if I left one of these here," he said. He handed her one of the yellow papers.

Her brows rose as she looked the flier over. "You're teaching karate lessons? I thought you said you weren't into that kind of thing."

"I'm still not teaching girls," he said with a smug smirk.

Years ago, after watching Johnny handle a few rowdy patrons, she had begged him to show her a few moves. He always denied her. His ideas on "fragile female bones" did not amuse her but it never stopped her from asking again. Although there were lulls in between, the conversation was never truly dropped.

She rolled her eyes but let the comment go. She flipped the flier but nothing was on the back. "This is really cool."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. I mean, not the flier. That kind of sucks. But the fact that you're teaching is fucking awesome," she said brightly.

He scoffed. "God, you can be such a brat."

She grinned at him cheekily. "You know you like it," she teased.

He tipped his beer at her once more and shrugged. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "Guess that's why I keep coming back to this shithole."

She smacked him with the cleaning rag. "Watch yourself, Mr. Lawrence. This shithole has been damn good to you."

He flashed her that dazzling smile.

There it was. She had missed that smile over the past few weeks. It could brighten her day or render her speechless with frustration depending on his mood.

Quickly she dropped her attention back to the flier. If her cheeks had taken on a pink coloring, Johnny didn't point it out. More like he was too oblivious to notice, she thought, but sometimes his lack of observation played into her favor.

"This is cool," she repeated, nodding. "Do you mind if I keep a few?"

Again he shrugged. "Yeah, whatever. Go ahead. Take ten."

She took another two off the pile. "I'll stick with three, thanks," she said sweetly.

"Brat," he muttered into his drink.

"Asshole," she shot back.

Someone at the opposite end of the bar flagged her down.

"Duty calls," she half-sang. She waved the fliers in her hand at him. "You're more than welcome to stick one of these up to the bulletin board by the front." Without waiting for a response, she stuck them under the bar for safekeeping and left to go serve the other patron.

As she went, she missed the way Johnny's bright blue eyes followed after her.

The first time that Zoe showed Willard the flier he didn't look at it more than once. Not that she honestly expected him to. His interests lay in video games and cooking. Athletics weren't his thing. She understood. Karate, or fighting in general, wasn't for everyone. She certainly wasn't going to offer it to Tallulah.

That's why she was so surprised when he brought it up again a few weeks later. "You want to take karate lessons?"

"Yes," he said emphatically.

She crossed her arms as she checked him out from head to toe. There weren't any bruises that she could see. He hadn't come home bleeding that she knew of. It was true that Willard didn't get along with many kids in school. He was a sweet boy, but sweet didn't get you far in high school.

"Now, I don't have a problem with this," she started slowly, raising a hand to curb his enthusiasm. "But first I have to ask: what changed?"

He pulled out his phone to show her the fight that had happened at school that day. "It was amazing!" he gushed.

Frowning, she pointed to one of the boys in the video. "Who's this? I know this kid."

His face fell a little. "Oh. That's Kyler."

Right away she remembered. More than once she had heard about Kyler. He was a few years ahead of Willard but that didn't seem to stop him from making her little brother miserable. In the past she had been ready to march over to Kyler's house to talk to his parents. She didn't care that she didn't know where the boy lived exactly. She would knock down every door in Los Angeles if she had to. Every time, Willard stopped her, insisting that her doing that would only make it worse.

Carefully, Zoe carded her fingers through Willard's blond hair. He used to love it when she played with his hair. As he had gotten older, he had become too cool for his sisters' affections. Lately it was a hit or miss thing.

When he offered her a hopeful smile, she sighed. How could she say no to that face?

"Alright," she said.

He grew very still even as his smile widened. "Is that a yes?"

Smiling indulgently, she nodded. "That's a yes."

He hollered in joy, jumping circles around Zoe as his fist pumped in the air.

"But!" She shouted over his celebration. "But your grades stay up or no deal."

He hugged her around the middle. "I will! I will, I promise! Thank you, Zoe. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

She lightly scratched her nails over his scalp and kissed his forehead. "You're welcome," she laughed, wiping away the lipstick stain she had left behind.

The next day after school, Zoe drove Willard to the strip mall in Reseda. The sign for the Cobra Kai dojo was hard to miss. There was already a group of teenagers waiting outside the door.

"I hope there'll be room," Willard muttered, tugging at his earlobe.

Zoe gently pulled his hand away from his ear. "It'll be fine," she assured him. "If you don't get to attend class today, we'll just sign you up for the next one."

They joined the others to wait. Everyone was talking excitedly about the fight. The video had gone viral on YouTube. Willard kept beaming at Zoe as if to say 'see? I told you'. In return, Zoe would lift her brows and nod; 'yes, you were right'. He was a ball of anticipation.

A red car pulled up next to Zoe's. It wasn't the car that she associated with Johnny, so she hadn't expected to see him get out. A smile flitted across her lips before she was able to school her features.

The moment the front door was unlocked, everyone was pushing to get inside the dojo. Zoe held Willard back so that they were last ones in.

Johnny's eyes widened when he saw her. "Zoe!" He exclaimed. His gaze bounced from her hand on Willard's shoulder back to her. "I didn't know you had kids." His brow furrowed as if he were doing the math, obviously trying to recall how old she was exactly.

She snorted. "I don't. This is my brother. He wanted to come give you guys a try."

Beside her, Willard nodded emphatically.

Johnny looked at Willard again. This time it was far more scrutinizing. At last he muttered, "God! I feel like a virgin just looking at you."

The immediate response to laugh bubbled up inside of her. She folded her lips in and closed her eyes to keep it under control. A tiny snort managed to escape. Quickly she cleared her throat to cover the incriminating sound.

Willard shifted uncomfortably. "I'm… going to go say hi to Ben."

"Okay," she said a little too brightly, patting Willard's shoulder. "You boys have fun."

He scuttled off to find his friend.

Johnny licked his lip. "So that's your brother, huh? Doesn't look much like you."

"Half-brother, technically," she admitted, adjusting the strap of her purse. She didn't feel like explaining it any deeper than that. "I'd really like to go ahead and pay for this month. Do you mind?"

"No, not at all," he said. With a wave of his arm, he showed her back to his office.

The paperwork didn't take long. Soon she laid out the necessary bills. Johnny scooped them up and shoved them in one of his desk drawers.

"Thanks for your business," he said with smirk.

Grinning, she tossed her dark hair over her shoulder. "Pleasure's mine. It looks like you're busy so I'll show myself out." She glanced out the office window to where the kids were mingling. It was difficult to spot her little brother in the crowd.

Knowing that it would only embarrass him, Zoe resisted the urge to kiss Willard goodbye. She did shoot him a wink as she walked past. He sent her a tiny wave back. She counted that as a victory.

A few minutes later, Johnny emerged, donned in his black gi. It took a minute to get all the new kids straightened out. As he walked through the lines, his hopes plummeted further and further down. These kids were not what he would qualify as Cobra Kai material.

He paused when he got to Willard. "Don't think that because your sister is hot that I'm gonna take it easy on you, Virgin," he barked.

To the kid's credit, he didn't even blink. He kept his gaze straight ahead.

Johnny nodded and moved on. Maybe there was hope yet.


	2. Chapter 2

The first time Aisha saw Miss Z was the day after Miguel's fight in the cafeteria. There were so many new students. It would have been easy to overlook her if she hadn't – well, hadn't been Miss Z. She showed up with Willard and talked to Sensei Lawrence as if they had been friends their whole lives.

What Aisha remembers most was Miss Z on her way out. When she walked out of Sensei's office, she drew every eye in the dojo. The silky pink fabric of her top shimmered as she moved. Her black skirt clung to her round hips and thighs like a second skin. Each step she took was a study in grace as she strutted across the room in her heels. Then Miss Z looked over, her bright red lips pulling into a smirk as she winked. After she left, people whispered about a tattoo on the back of her leg, peeking out from beneath her skirt.

Aisha had never wanted to be someone so badly. Miss Z owned those heels – she owned it all. Aisha craved that sort of confidence. She wanted people to notice when she walked into a room and be in awe, and she wanted to not to even care when it happened.

The second time Aisha saw Miss Z, it was only in passing. The third and fourth times were the same. Each time Aisha watched her. She was too intimidated to approach.

The fifth time, Aisha finally gathered enough courage to talk to her. Miss Z had been so nice. "It's so good to see a girl in here," she told her and glanced around the room pointedly. "Show those boys how it's done."

"I do my best," Aisha promised.

Miss Z's gaze traveled over Aisha from head to toe. A smile spread across her face. "You know, you've done what I haven't been able to," she confessed.

Aisha's eyes widened. "Really? What?"

"I've been trying to get Johnny – that is, Sensei Lawrence – to teach me for years. He said girls couldn't do karate." She rolled her eyes and winked conspiratorially. "We know better. Don't we, Miss Robinson?"

The only thing Aisha could do was giggle.

Willard – or, as Sensei called him, Virgin – was actually a really nice guy. He was a bit quiet, but even-tempered. He never shied away from a training exercise and always followed through with Sensei's every command. Aisha respected that about him.

He was actually the first person Aisha had ever punched in the face. She remembered when Miss Z came in the next day. Her arms were loaded down with cupcakes. Each cupcake had a splatter of red on the white frosting. "In honor of your first time getting punched," she explained.

Everyone had been stoked.

If that wasn't a big enough surprise, none other than Tallulah Werner. It was weird seeing her without Moon or Yasmine. She didn't look too thrilled about being there, making a show of huffing and shooting dirty looks at Willard who was basking in the gratitude from his fellow Cobras.

Tallulah also had a tray of cupcakes. Few people approached her for one and everyone that did barely got one word out of her. Aisha decided that she would just wait for one from Miss Z.

To her surprise, Tallulah approached her. "Want one?" She held out the tray for Aisha's perusal.

Aisha couldn't think of a polite way to decline. Not wanting to be rude and possibly offend Miss Z, she forced a smile and took one. She played with the paper wrapper. There was a lump of burned bit sticking to the outside. Idly, she began picking at it.

"I didn't know you did karate," Tallulah said off-handedly.

Aisha looked at her incredulous. She hardly spoke to Aisha, in school or out of it. Was she actually trying to make small talk with her?

She cleared her throat. "I started after… the pig thing."

"The pig…?" Suddenly Tallulah's face darkened. "Oh. That."

"Yeah, that." Aisha couldn't even look at her. She kept picking at the wrapper.

"I'm really sorry about that."

At this, Aisha finally did look up. Her mouth turned down into a scowl. "Why? Were you the one who made it?"

"No," Tallulah admitted, wearing a scowl of her own. She gripped the tray so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "But I didn't stop her either."

A harsh laugh left her. "So, Yasmine then? Figures."

Forcing a slow breath out through her nose, she shook her head. Deliberately she relaxed her grip on the tray one finger at a time. "It was a really shitty thing to do. I mean, it was shitty even for her. I didn't really even know what she was doing until she sent it out."

Aisha went back to picking at the cupcake wrapper. "Did… Did Sam know?"

"I don't think so," Tallulah said softly.

The tense line of Aisha's shoulders softened. She glanced up at Tallulah and offered a weak smile. "Thanks. For the cupcake, I mean," she said, unnecessarily showing her the cupcake she was holding.

The first smile Tallulah showed since walking into the dojo appeared. It was warmer than Aisha had expected. "I would say you're welcome, but I didn't help any. I'm awful in the kitchen. This was all them."

Unable to resist, she asked, "How do you know them?"

"Willard is my little brother," she confessed.

The fact that Willard was related to Miss Z was confusing enough on its own. Adding Tallulah to that family was downright unbelievable. But then again, now that she was looking, she noticed that Tallulah and Willard shared similar coloring. Their noses and mouths were pretty similar, too. She even had the same eyes as Miss Z. If Tallulah was related to them, she must not be so bad.

"You mean Virgin?" Aisha clarified, her smile turning genuine.

"Do you - ?" She stopped, squinted at Aisha, and asked suspiciously, "You call him Virgin?"

Aisha laughed. "Yeah. Sensei doesn't bother remembering the noobs' real names."

Slowly she nodded. She looked around the dojo with a new appreciation. "I think this place is growing on me."

Another laugh escaped Aisha. She had no idea Tallulah was funny.

Miss Z called, "Lulu! Do you have any cupcakes left?"

"Coming!" Lulu called back. To Aisha she said, "I'll see you at school."

"Uh, yeah, totally," Aisha replied. She had absolutely zero expectations of Tallulah Werner speaking to her ever again. "Bye, Lulu." As soon as the words left her mouth she wanted to punch herself in the face.

She waited for Tallulah to say something nasty but nothing ever came. All she did was give another warm smile and headed over to where Miss Z was waiting.

Aisha could finally enjoy her cupcake in peace. The first bite had her humming in appreciation. The frosting was creamy. The cake was soft and sweet, with a hint of something spicy. It was so good that Aisha considered telling Willard about it. Later, she decided.

The best thing about joining Cobra Kai for Aisha was the friends. Before, the only person she hung out with was Samantha. When Sam got invited to the popular table Aisha was left behind. Now, she had a whole group of people who would always have her back. She had Miguel and Eli/Hawk and Bert and Willard and Sensei Lawrence and Miss Z and even Hawk's pessimistic friend Demetri.

In effort to get Miguel's mind off of Samantha, she and Hawk decided to take him to the movies. He had been talking about seeing "Ready Player One" for weeks. If that didn't cheer him up, she didn't know what would.

Tickets in hand, they headed for the concession counter. The lines were a few people deep, typical for a Thursday afternoon.

Hawk titled his chin towards the employee behind the counter. "Isn't that Virgin's sister?"

Thinking that he was referring to Miss Z, Aisha highly doubted Hawk's eyesight. She stood up on her toes to check. It would be an easy mark to rib him about later. When she saw gold spun hair instead of black, she dropped back to her heels.

A wave of unease washed over Aisha. Being around Tallulah reminded her too much of Yasmine and, worse still, Samantha.

She cleared her throat but her words still felt stuck together when she answered, "Her name is Lulu."

Eventually it was their turn. When they got up to the counter, Tallulah visibly perked up. Her hand flew to her necklace. Her fingers smoothed over the simple teardrop-shaped crystal. "Hi, Aisha," she greeted, Her smile was warm and open.

Hesitantly, Aisha smiled back. "Hi."

"Hey." Hawk leaned one forearm on the glass counter. A smirk lifted one side of his mouth. He continued in the same voice, a deeper, harsher version of her real one. "The name's Hawk. You're Lulu, right? I think I've seen you around the dojo."

Her expression dimmed. It quickly morphed in a polite mask. "Tallulah actually – at least while I'm at work," she corrected. She tapped her name tag for emphasis. There were rhinestones sticking to it.

Color filled Aisha's cheeks. The memory of calling her the nickname at the dojo had haunted her all week. She bent her head to study her shoes.

"Oh. I mean, that's cool," Hawk said, feigning nonchalance.

The polite mask stayed firmly in place as Tallulah turned to Miguel. With forced cheer she asked, "What can I get you?"

A relieved Miguel stepped forwards. Watching Hawk learn how to flirt was painful. "Yes, hi," he said with a nod of acknowledgement. "I'll get a small popcorn and a Dr Pepper, please."

"A box of milk duds for me," Hawk threw in, regaining some of his bravado.

Tallulah nodded as she typed on the screen of the cash register. She looked to Aisha expectantly.

"And I'll get…" Aisha trailed off as she studied the candy display behind the glass. Her eyes lingered on a few of the boxes. Behind her, she could feel her friends shifting restlessly. She bit her bottom lip. "I guess I'll just get popcorn, too," she said with an apologetic shrug.

"What size?"

She shoved her hands into the pockets of her sweatshirt. "Small, please."

She nodded. Her hand hovered over the screen. "No candy? No drink?" Tallulah asked when Aisha didn't continue.

Aisha shook her head.

She scuffed her shoe as Tallulah rattled off the total. Everyone pulled out money to cover their share of the cost and then took their goodies.

As they were walking away, Tallulah exclaimed, "Hey, Aisha!" Holding up a finger to the next customer in line, she beckoned Aisha over with the other hand.

Aisha looked over at her friends to see how they would react. They both waved her on, promising they would wait. She hurried back over to the counter. "What is it?" She asked in a stage-whisper.

Looking furtively over her shoulder, Tallulah slid a box across the counter. "Here," she whispered back, "on the house."

"Oh!" Aisha picked up the box of Skittles. It felt alien in her hands, like a gift from a different culture that she didn't understand. It took her a moment to even manage the words, "Thank you, Tallulah."

"You can call me Lulu," she told her. She ducked her head, bashful, and then looked at Aisha through her long lashes. The sharp crease of her eyeliner was a strong contrast to how softly she was looking at her right then. "If you want to," she added.

The breath caught in her throat. "O-Okay. Thanks, Lulu."

Tallulah smiled angelically, as if she hadn't just made Aisha's knees turn to Jell-O.

Aisha hugged the candy and her popcorn close and fled back to her friends.

"What was that about?" Miguel asked, munching on his popcorn.

"Um, nothing," she lied. She shoved the box of candy into her pocket and hoped her friends would be their usual boy-selves and not notice.

As if answering a prayer, Hawk grinned. "Was she asking about me?"

She rolled her eyes to hide her gratitude. "Amazingly, you didn't come up in conversation," she told him snarkily. She laughed with Miguel as he playfully punched Hawk's arm.

"Come on, man," Miguel urged. "Let's go find some seats."

Aisha pushed ahead to lead them, all too happy to forget about the encounter with Tallulah. Or as she was apparently calling her now – Lulu.


	3. Chapter 3

Family dinners on Sunday had been a tradition since Tallulah was a child. She remembered being devastated when her older sister decided to move out. The promise of family dinner was the only thing that could console her – that and all the sleepovers she would have at Zoe's new apartment.

With Zoe's and Tallulah's combined work schedules, cheer practice, and gymnastic practice, there weren't always opportunities to sit down for a meal during the week. Ever since Willard started lessons at Cobra Kai, he was gone as often as they were.

Family dinners, however, were sacred. No date or sleepover or business meeting was ever important enough to overshadow it. It would take a pretty big damn emergency to even reschedule it. Takeout was strictly forbidden. It was the only day that Tallulah volunteered to help cook. Most of the time, she was directed to potato peeling or something else equally difficult to ruin. Sometimes she just sat on the counter while Zoe and Willard handled everything. Every Sunday at five o'clock, all three of them would be sitting around the table.

This Sunday was no different. Tallulah was busy cutting her asparagus in the teensiest pieces possible when Willard asked if you could go to a party. Tallulah's knife slipped off her plate.

Zoe chewed for a long moment, her gaze keen on Willard. He stared back steadily.

"Who's party?" She asked eventually.

"Aisha's," Willard answered right away. "It's in the canyon. Everyone in the dojo is going."

Slowly Zoe nodded and took a drink. "Lots of older kids in your dojo," she pointed out.

"Yeah," he agreed.

Again she nodded. "There'll be alcohol there, right?"

"I don't know. Probably," he said with a shrug.

Zoe pointed her fork at him. "I appreciate your honesty. Keep that up and your teen years are going to be a breeze."

He cracked a smile. "Does that mean I can go?" He asked in his best wheedling voice.

"Oh, ho-ho-ho," Zoe cooed at him with a sarcastic grin. "He thinks he's so slick."

"Come on, Zoe. Please?" He asked.

She jiggled her head back and forth as she stared up at the ceiling, considering his request. "If there's alcohol involved, I don't want you drinking, and I don't want you riding with someone who's been drinking."

Each declaration was met with a serious nod. "I can do that," he promised.

"You'll be fifteen here in a few months," Zoe reminded him, as if he weren't counting the days. "This'll be your first high school party. If you can prove to me that you can be responsible, I don't have a problem with you going to more in the future."

"Yes! Alright!" He cheered.

"But this time - " she shouted over his celebration.

He groaned. "There's always a catch!"

She tilted her head and raised one brow; her silent warning. She continued in a normal volume, "This time, I want you to have a little supervision. I like the kids in your dojo. I like Aisha. But you're still fourteen. I would be a lot more comfortable if I knew there was someone there watching out for you."

"Like a babysitter?" He demanded, brow furrowing as he started to frown.

"Like a person who has your best interests in mind," she corrected gently. "A person that I trust."

He sighed and shrugged, yielding to her stipulations. "Who did you have in mind?"

"Well, you would have to work it out with her…" Zoe trailed off, looking pointedly at Tallulah.

Willard turned his big blue eyes on Tallulah. "Please, Lulu?" He pleaded.

Pretending to be very involved in pushing her food from one side of the plate to the other, she asked, "When is it?"

"Next Friday."

"Okay."

He glanced at Zoe and back again. "Okay… you'll think about it?" He clarified.

She shrugged. "Okay, I'll do it. Aisha's pretty cool. I like her."

A hush fell over the table. Not even the scrape of utensils on the plates or the sound of chewing could be heard.

Tallulah looked up to see what was wrong. She glared at her siblings staring at her as if she grew an extra head. "What?" She snapped, spearing a piece of asparagus with a little too much vigor.

"Lulu sweetheart," Zoe said cautiously, deliberately not touching her as she straightened out Tallulah's placemat. Her eyes were soft but serious as her gaze met Tallulah's. "That's a pretty big statement coming from you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She demanded.

Willard cleared his throat. "What she means is: you don't like anybody."

"That's not true," she scoffed.

"You barely even like us," he pointed out.

She sniffed haughtily. "Yeah, well, you're a couple of freaks, so who can blame me?"

Since he still really wanted to go to the party, Willard chose not to push it. Instead he shoveled a large scoop of food into his mouth. Tallulah followed his example, taking a much daintier bite.

Zoe glanced between the two. A smile grew on her face. "Well, alright then," she said happily. "I'm glad everyone's getting along."

Tallulah made sure that her eye roll wouldn't go unnoticed. Privately, she smiled to herself. Family dinners were the best.

* * *

The whole drive over was filled with chatter. Tallulah wanted to know who to expect at the party. Willard was more than happy to talk all about his friends.

It had been surprisingly easy for him to get along with Tallulah over the past week. That didn't mean she became an angel overnight. She still spit venom whenever she could, but she hadn't been as aggressive as of late.

Even as they left the house for the party, she had told him that she was glad he decided to dress less like a blind monkey – she might actually allow him to be seen with her. Of course, he had pointed out that she wasn't technically invited. She was only going because he was. To this she had merely rolled her eyes.

Willard was surprised, and perhaps a little suspicious, that she conceded so soon. Submission wasn't in her nature. If he didn't know better, he would've thought that Tallulah wanted to go to a party. That couldn't be right though.

The only compliment she had ever given any Cobra was a backhanded one. She called them all nerds and dorks, made worse by association with her dorky little brother. Not even Sensei was spared from her sharp tongue.

In fact, there was only one exception that he could think of: Alisha Robinson. Tallulah had even said that she _liked_ Alisha – that she was _cool_. That had been a bizarre conversation to say the least.

As they pulled in next to the other cars, Tallulah double-checked her reflection. She fretted over her lipstick.

A realization dawned over him as he watched her. It was a realization that made his stomach churn with horror. It made a sort of bizarre sense. Which would explain Tallulah's bizarre behavior, he realized.

Willard wasn't surprised when Tallulah made a beeline for where Alisha was standing by the fire. Looking at them, he thought that they did sort of make sense together. Alisha was one of the strongest, toughest people he knew. Tallulah was the most determined and the most vicious. The idea of them together still terrified him, but he guessed that as far as girlfriends went, Tallulah couldn't have done a lot better.

* * *

Tallulah bounded through the sand. "Hi, Aisha," she called.

The firelight played across Aisha's glasses as she turned to greet her. "Hey! I didn't think you were going to make it!"

"Here I am," she said sweetly. Her smile was just as warm as it had been at the movie theater.

Scrambling for something to say, Aisha noticed the nearby cooler. She pointed at it. "Do you want a drink?"

"Soda or beer?" Tallulah asked as she fell in step beside Aisha.

"Lady's choice," she replied.

Tallulah pulled a face. "I'm DD for my little brother tonight."

"Soda it is then," Aisha giggled. She pulled out one of the cans. "That's nice of you to look out for Willard. Where is he by the way?"

She shrugged as she popped the tab. The foam rushed to the top of the can. Daintily, Tallulah sipped the bubbles away before they could overflow. Swallowing, she answered, "Talking to his friends, I guess. The only way Zoe would let him come was if I drove. It's his first party. I'm not going to keep him on a leash."

"That's nice," Aisha repeated.

The girls could feel the awkward silence stretching between them. The sounds of the party – the music, the waves, the conversations – were almost intrusive. Aisha had suddenly found her beer bottle very interesting. She chose to focus on picking at the label instead of the way Tallulah was biting on her lip.

"You know, I was supposed to show up with Yasmine," she blurted.

Aisha's head shot up. There was wariness and mistrust in the curve of her mouth that hadn't been there before. "Why didn't you?"

"I told her no," she answered. She glanced down at her soda can, slowly rotating it in her hands.

"Why?"

When Tallulah finally looked up, she was peering through her lashes. The sunset was playing havoc on the color of her eyes. What had been hazel were now kaleidoscopes of color. Her blonde hair was painted with wisps of oranges and pinks. When her hair was loose around her face and barely getting caught in the breeze that was it was, she really did look like an angel.

"Yasmine's a bitch," she said, taking Aisha off-guard. Her lips, painted a vibrant purple, fell into a pout as she said, "Why would I want to celebrate the day we were cursed with her?"

She blinked several times. So much for angels, she thought. Clearing her throat, she asked, "I thought you and her were… you know, friends?"

She shrugged one bare shoulder. "Not so much. I just put up with her because Moon likes having her around."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Aisha started picking at the label again.

"So, Willard gave me a rundown on who's supposed to be here. Do you mind helping me put faces to the names he gave me?"

Her brows rose even as she smiled in relief. "Yeah, sure. Do you know Leon? He's right over here," she offered.

As Aisha started to walk over to where Leon presumably was, Tallulah slipped her hand into hers. She gave it an encouraging squeeze. "Great! Lead the way."

Nobody said anything when Tallulah would wiggle her fingers around her soda can instead of shake their hand. They didn't say anything when Tallulah would lean her chest against Aisha's arm, claiming to steal her warmth, or when she whispered in Aisha's ear. Aisha introduced her to every single person. Although a few gave questioning looks, no one said word. It barely occurred to her that she was holding hands with a cheerleader. Maybe it was because their hands fit surprisingly well together.

It wasn't until Moon and Yasmine showed up that Tallulah finally let go. She opened her arms to accept Moon's hug. Aisha's hand felt naked.

"I saw a really cute guy over there," Moon declared, dancing from foot to foot. "I'm going to go talk to him. Bye!" All Tallulah could do was nod before Moon was gone.

Yasmine scoffed and rolled her eyes at her friend's retreating back. Once she was gone, she sneered at Tallulah. "I didn't expect to see you at the loser party."

"That's funny. I should have known you would show up sooner or later, Yazzy dear," Tallulah replied smoothly. Her smile wasn't warm anymore.

Yamsine scoffed again and stomped off, presumably to find Moon or alcohol. She never enjoyed the battle of words Tallulah waged.

Giggling to herself, Aisha shook her head. Her shoulder brushed against Tallulah's as she leaned over to gleefully ask, "Did you see the look on her face?"

Cutting her eyes to Aisha, Tallulah smirked. "It's hard to tell a difference when she's constantly got her nose stuck in the air."

Aisha giggled harder.

That warm smile graced Tallulah's face once more. "Come on. I should go check on my little brother. And then maybe you want to walk down by the water with me?"

"Sure," Aisha replied, not sure why her stomach felt full of butterflies.

Tallulah grabbed her hand once more. "Let's go then," she commanded. Already she was tugging Aisha along, who came willingly enough.

The night was going so well. Willard was walking that fine line between enjoying himself and behaving. Off to the side, Yasmine sulked. Everyone was laughing and having such a good time. Aisha was a little reluctant to leave. Then Tallulah pouted and batted her lashes until Aisha laughed some more and agreed to go on the promised walk with her.

The wind coming off the water was chilly. Aisha shivered, clutching her beer close to her chest.

"I always wanted to be able to see the stars when I was a little girl," Tallulah declared, face upturned as she searched the sky.

Aisha shook her head. "There's too much light pollution, even out here."

She sighed. "I know. It's such a shame. One day, I'd like to have a little cabin in the middle of nowhere. A place I can go and just… look at the stars, you know?"

"Have you ever been to the planetarium?" She asked.

Finally Tallulah managed to tear her eyes away from the dark sky. She smiled at Aisha and shook her head. "Have you?"

"Yes, a few times. It's pretty nice," she said, nodding and taking another drink.

"I'd like to go sometime," Tallulah mused aloud. She wrapped both of her hands around Aisha's elbow and leaned her chin on the other girl's shoulder. "Will you take me?"

Aisha laughed. "It's not a secret place, Tallulah. There's this amazing thing called Google – you should check it out."

"Lulu."

"What?"

"I told you to call me Lulu. Tallulah is too formal between us," Tallulah explained.

"I remember. But, Lulu, you can go whenever you want. You don't need me," she declined.

"I could..." Tallulah allowed, shifting so that her head was resting on Aisha's shoulder as they walked. "But it wouldn't be nearly as much fun unless you were there."

Blushing, Aisha kicked a stray piece of driftwood. In a very quiet voice she said, "Maybe."

The conversation faded off after that. Unlike before, the silence didn't weigh down on them. It rested comfortably, like an old familiar blanket. Eventually, Tallulah noticed how often Aisha was shivering and suggested that they turned around.

The party had continued as if they had never left. Still holding Aisha's hand, Tallulah set out to find Moon. It took a while to separate her face from the boy's with the blue Mohawk. Once they succeeded, Moon introduced Tallulah to Hawk as the cute boy Moon had spotted from earlier.

In a move that shocked both Cobras, Moon apologized about the pig video incident. Aisha hadn't realized that Moon knew so many big words. She decided that it was politer to accept the apology that point that out. They all went to get refresher drinks and got to talking. Aisha and Hawk had a lot of interesting stories to impress Moon with.

They were in the middle of explaining how Hawk had managed to accidentally kick their friend Miguel in the face, completely missing the board he was supposed to be aiming for, when Yasmine stormed over.

"Moon, come on! We're leaving," she commanded.

For once, Moon protested. She didn't want to leave. "I already apologized to Alisha, and you should, too," she insisted.

Yasmine was having none of it. She called Hawk and all his friends freaks and then had the audacity to call Aisha fugly.

Tallulah was fuming. A million insults were poised at the tip of her tongue, but all were too kind for what a piece of work like Yasmine deserved.

"Hey, Yasmine," Aisha called. "Let me help you to your car."

The crowd erupted as Aisha lifted Yasmine off her feet by the front of her hot pink underwear. The girl screamed. Aisha dropped her, letting Yasmine crumple to the ground. As everyone laughed Yasmine ran off like a dog with its tail between its legs.

Tallulah couldn't help but admire Aisha. Yasmine had been awful to her, yes, but Yasmine was awful to everyone. It took someone like Aisha to finally stand up to her.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Bit of a long chapter today. I had a really hard time trying to break it down into smaller pieces. So, here you are. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Business had been a little slow the past hour. She was bored out of her mind. Technically, she didn't have to be there. The bar was already covered. Her presence was overkill. She was simply taking up space by that time.

The reason wasn't difficult to admit. Being home just wasn't appealing at the moment, what with both of the teenagers at the party. It was Willard's first high school party. The very thought unnerved her. Her phone was in her back pocket, on the off chance that they needed her.

She couldn't believe that they were both old enough to do that. It didn't feel too long ago that it was her tagging along to parties with her brother –

Zoe scrubbed harder at the stubborn spot on the counter, willing the thoughts away. Traitorous, unwanted thoughts.

The door opened. A smile split her face as her favorite patron walked through the door.

"Hi, Johnny. Didn't expect to see you here tonight," she called.

With a sigh that was more like a groan, he took his usual place. "It's been a fucking day, Zo."

She nodded. "I feel that. Want to tell me about it?" She started pouring his Coors.

"Ask this asshole," he sneered, jerking his thumb to the man who took the stool next to him.

It was none other than Daniel LaRusso. In the Valley it would be hard not to recognize him.

The man sighed through his nose and rapped his knuckles on the bar top. "Nice, Johnny. Showing some real class there."

The smirk she shot Johnny morphed in a customer-service-worthy smile. "What will it be, sir?"

"Dry martini, please," he replied, "ice, _ice_ cold."

"Coming right up," she said, sliding the Johnny's drink into his waiting hands.

Zoe mixed the martini and handed it over. LaRusso took a tentative sip which was closely followed by an appreciative noise. "Oh, that's good," he hissed.

Johnny flashed his best shit-eating grin. "Told you. Zoe's the best. Not that you'd know the difference, Danielle." He nudged the other man with his elbow, causing him to nearly spill his drink. He laughed at the glower LaRusso sent him.

Filled with fond exasperation, Zoe rolled her eyes. She laid her hand on top of where Johnny's free hand rested. "I'm going to go check on something in the back. Play nice while I'm gone," she half-warned.

Never one to back down from a challenge, he shot her a look she easily recognized. Mischief in the tilt of his head, he set down his beer to ease up onto his elbows. His blue eyes caught hers, he smiled that smile, and she was trapped.

"When am I ever not nice? Huh?" He demanded.

Zoe opened her mouth to retort. He chose that moment to flip his hand over to capture hers. His thumb brushed across the back of her knuckles, back and forth. The calluses whispered deliciously against her skin.

The rise of her chest stuttered as she struggled to remember how to breathe. "Johnny…"

"Am I interrupting something here?" LaRusso asked. He waved his hands between Zoe and Johnny.

She blinked stupidly, not understanding what he was meaning. Then she realized where she was.

"Damn it, Johnny!" She snatched her hand away and pushed against his chest. It did nothing but make him chuckle. The fact that she couldn't even keep a straight face probably didn't help. "Sit your ass down. I am working!"

"Could have fooled me," Johnny said with a wink.

She turned and stalked halfway down the bar. There wasn't anything to do there. She resorted to fussing over the glasses in the rack.

"Do you always flirt with the staff?" LaRusso asked Johnny. Disapproval was heavy in his voice.

She heard Johnny's chuckle. The sound travelled down her spine and hit straight into her belly. Stubbornly she ignored her reaction.

"Nah, man. Just that one. She's a hell of a firecracker."

There was a pause. "Isn't she a little young for you?" He asked.

Johnny grumbled something back. It was quiet enough that she couldn't understand. She huffed and walked off, determined to ignore him for the rest of the night. It didn't work, of course, but a girl could try.

A few hours and more than a few drinks later, Johnny and LaRusso were drunk. She cut them off when the two were practically pissing themselves giggling over nothing. However, the damage was already done. LaRusso could barely even stand up, let alone walk. There was only one thing Zoe could do.

She walked around the bar, put one hand on her hip, and held the other out expectantly. "Keys," she demanded. She curled the fingers of her waiting hand for emphasis.

"Hey, hey, hey, no, we got it," LaRusso slurred, waving her off.

Deeply unimpressed, Zoe shot him a look that said so – thoroughly.

She then turned her attention back to Johnny. Just make sure he understood how serious she was, she put a little weight onto the hip she was leaning on and said again, "Keys."

Chauffeuring wasted patrons was not something that she usually did. However, she had made exceptions for a few special cases. Johnny was one of them. It was true that he was a functioning alcoholic and was a frighteningly practiced driver at two sheets to the wind. He was also very good at hiding the symptoms until he was well and truly wasted.

Over time, Johnny had learned to trust her judgment. When she said that he was too gone, he was fairly confident that meant he really was gone.

Without any resistance or hesitation, Johnny dropped the keys into her waiting palm.

She smirked triumphantly at LaRusso before walking out the door.

"Shotgun," Johnny claimed. He was right on her heels, leaving only LaRusso behind. We he noticed that no one was behind him, he turned around to shout, "You coming, man?"

Eventually, LaRusso gave up and started stumbling through the parking lot. Zoe went back to help escort him the rest of the way. Once she was able to maneuver him into the backseat, which was made harder than necessary because of Johnny talking shit to LaRusso from the front passenger seat, Zoe got an address out of him.

The men were quiet as she drove. She had a strong suspicion that LaRusso was passed out in the back. As long as he didn't make a mess of the upholstery, she didn't mind.

Then again, she thought, it would be easier to tell if he was about to spew if he was awake enough to tell her.

Just as she was about to call back to LaRusso, Johnny reached over onto her side of the car. His hand landed heavily on her leg. She could feel his calluses through the thin fabric of her tights. In sluggish movements, Johnny rubbed the top of her thigh, back and forth, back and forth.

Heat pooled in her belly. Her mouth went dry. She loved those calluses.

Johnny adjusted his grip to the inside of her thigh. He snickered when she jumped and then wedged his fingers in between her and the seat.

She glanced over at Johnny. The drunken smile he gave her was all she needed to see.

Carefully, Zoe pried his hand out from between her legs. That didn't seem to upset him any so she laced her fingers through his. Their joined hands rested on the edge of her seat.

When they pulled up to the house, Johnny had yet to pull away. Zoe hated to have to be the one. She squeezed his hand before pulling hers out to put the car into park.

"Hey, LaRusso," she called back. Her earlier suspicions were confirmed when he jerked to attention. "Hey, man. You're home."

"Oh, thank god," he groaned, rubbing his face with both hands.

Johnny snickered. "What? You done already? I was thinking we could have ourselves a little rematch," he teased.

"Rematch for what? I'm done drinking," LaRusso declared.

"Pussy," Johnny shot back.

Zoe rolled her eyes. "Johnny, let him be. He's in no condition to fight you."

"Oh, is that what you want, John? Looking for a fight?" LaRusso asked. His tiredness seemed to be forgotten as he smiled dopily at Johnny. "It's a good thing you're little girlfriend is here to talk you out of it. I can beat you anywhere, anytime."

"Like to see you prove it, LaRusso," Johnny retorted, looking hungry at the prospect.

LaRusso barked out a laugh. "Ha! I've got a place to practice, right inside. Unless… of course… you're scared I'll beat you again."

"Come on, man," Johnny said, unbuckling his seatbelt and throwing open the door. "You and me – Rocky and Apollo style."

Sensing no malice in their banter, Zoe decided that she might as well let it happen. She sighed. Shutting off the car, she followed them into the backyard. If they were going to be idiots, it was better to be idiots with supervision. She didn't need Johnny or LaRusso hospitalized what with the tournament tomorrow.

Everything was going fine. Johnny and LaRusso were shoving each other in jest as they stumbled onwards. Honestly, Zoe wasn't expecting much to happen once they did get there. That is, until they walked into the guest house. The boy that was already there wasn't someone that Zoe recognized. Obviously Johnny did, because he shoved LaRusso into the wall with a roar.

The boy jumped in between the two men, shoving Johnny away. "Back off, Dad!"

"Dad?" Zoe echoed. Her jaw dropped as the pieces clicked into place.

She had never seen a recent photo of Robby but she had heard plenty from Johnny. This boy was about the same age as Tallulah – the same age as Johnny's son.

"What the hell is going on?" LaRusso demanded, more befuddled than anything.

"If you want to fight him, you'll have to go through me first," the boy who was probably Robby declared.

"Whoa, whoa! There's no need for that," Zoe cried, latching onto Johnny's arm. He was so angry that he was trembling. "Breathe, Johnny. Let's just… breathe with me, okay?"

His jaw was clenched tight. She was pretty sure he wasn't breathing like she told him to, but he wasn't screaming or hitting anything either. She ran her hand up his arm, over his shoulder, and threaded her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.

He told her once that he liked it when she did that – that his mother used to do that. He had been farther gone then than he was now, and probably didn't remember telling her that. She never forgot.

She kept stroking his hair. Finally, Johnny closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Zoe looked at the gobsmacked LaRusso. "Do you think we could take this inside? I think some water would do us all some good."

LaRusso kept looking between Johnny and Robby. Anger, confusion, and disbelief warred on his face.

She stepped forwards, touch lingering on Johnny's neck, to reach past Robby. "LaRusso," she said sharply, grasping him by the elbow. "You with us?"

Brown eyes drifted to her. He blinked as if he had never seen her before. "What?" He sputtered.

She offered him a tight smile. Turning to Robby, she murmured, "Take him inside please?"

He glanced up at her, unsure. He looked between his father and LaRusso and finally gave a nod.

Zoe gave a sigh of relief. Handling one drunken macho idiot was a lot easier than two. This went doubly so when those two idiots had a decades' long rivalry. She moved to grasp Johnny by the elbow and started tugging. After a brief moment of resistance, he followed her direction and allowed her to lead him to the main house.

She could hear Robby speaking to LaRusso behind them. She trusted him to coax the man to come inside as well.

Zoe brought Johnny into LaRusso's kitchen and directed him to sit at the island. "I'm going to get you some water," she explained, scratching her nails against the nape of his neck. "Are you hungry? I'll make you something to eat."

His eyes were closed as he leaned into her touch. "I can't believe this, man. I can't fucking believe it."

"Hey, we don't know what's going on yet," she soothed.

"I have eyes, Zoe," he snapped, opening his eyes to glare at her.

Sagely she nodded, not taking offense at his tone. "Yes, I'm aware. They're beautiful eyes, Johnny."

He scoffed and jerked away. "Don't talk to me," he ordered. His shoulders hunched. The muscles in his jaw jumped as he clenched over and over.

Her fingers trailed down his back. "Okay," she whispered and turned to raid the fridge.

Ouch. Even thought she knew that he wasn't upset with her, per say, it still hurt for him to reject her touch.

Eventually the other two joined them. LaRusso came in first. His face was a stark contrast to Johnny's thunderous expression; serene, almost absent. Robby was half a step behind. His hand stayed between LaRusso's shoulders, a gentle guiding presence. They both paused in the doorway.

Zoe nodded in greeting. "Hungry?" She asked. She lifted up the pan of eggs she was cooking for him to see.

Robby hesitated. He looked at Johnny. Averting his gaze, he cleared his throat and nodded in jerky movements.

"How about you, LaRusso?" She asked.

LaRusso shifted on his feet. "I'm fine, thank you."

"Pussy," Johnny mumbled.

He jerked towards the other man. "What was that?"

Sighing, she moved the pan to an inactive part of the stove and shut off the burner she was using. It took more effort than it should have not to slam it down. She wiped her hands on a rag as she turned around. It hung limply below her elbow as she crossed her arms over her stomach and pursed her lips.

Once he glanced up, a long groan escaped Johnny. "Don't fucking look at me like that, you little brat."

The words were mean but the tone was defeated. He knew that look and what it meant. Whatever argument they were having, he just lost.

"Stop acting like a goddamn cock monkey and maybe I would," she retorted calmly.

He groaned again and slumped over. One arm cushioned his head as he splayed against the countertop. "This is such bullshit."

"I made you eggs," she said off-handedly. "If I give you some, are you going to keep it down or am I going to have clean up your vomit?"

His groan was much more pained this time. "Don't say vomit."

LaRusso swayed where he stood. "Please, please, don' say that," he whispered.

Zoe raised one brow at LaRusso. Shaking her head, she pulled a plate out and scooped some eggs onto it. She set it down in front of Johnny. "Eat," she ordered.

Slowly, he managed to push himself into a semi-upright position. Disgust curled his lip but he picked up the fork anyways. "Where's the s-"

She set the salt shaker next to his plate along with a tall glass of water. "I know what I'm doing," she reminded him.

A brief smirk crossed his face. It was gone an instant as he upended the shaker.

"Here you go." She set another plate down on the side of the island closest to Robby and LaRusso. Seeing that neither moved she waved at the empty seats. "Go on. We don't bite."

Neither Robby nor LaRusso looked convinced.

"Well, I don't bite," she amended. "And Johnny isn't going to. Isn't that right, Johnny?" She turned to him.

Johnny did not respond, too busy devouring his food.

Lifting a brow and pursing her lips once more, she repeated her question.

"Quit bitching at me," he replied through a mouthful of eggs.

"Johnny," she warned.

He threw up his hands in defeat. "Fine. I'll be nice. Alright? Happy?"

Her stern expression melted into fondness. She leaned across the island to cup his cheek. "When are you ever not nice?" She cooed at him.

"Get off me," he grumbled as he jerked his face away. When he took a deliberately broad swipe at her, she danced away with a mischievous glint in her eyes. He huffed and took another bite. "Brat."

"A brat who makes bomb-ass eggs," she challenged.

He shrugged. "They're okay."

A snort was her only reply. Spinning on the balls of her feet, she returned to the stove, her hair fanning out behind her. Absently she began to hum.

"What are you doing here, Dad?"

He shot an acidic look at LaRusso. "I could ask you the same thing, Robby."

Zoe shook her head as she transferred the dirty pan to the sink. It hit the sink with a loud clank. "Do you want to fight with your son?"

Johnny's shoulders hunched. He glared at her and shoved another bite in his mouth, chewing with more attitude than necessary. "No," he admitted lowly.

"Then quit picking a fight and answer his question," she commanded and flipped on the faucet. She only let it run for a few seconds.

Robby's face scrunched. "Who are you again?" He demanded.

With grunt, Johnny used his fork to gesture between his son and… whatever Zoe was to him. "Robby, this is Zoe. Zo, this is my son Robby."

"Hi," she said brightly. She opened the fridge. The bottle she pulled out was given a strong shake. "Do you like orange juice? All LaRusso has is Minute Maid – sorry."

Bewildered, he looked to LaRusso for guidance. There wasn't any to be found there. "Uh… I'm fine, thanks."

Her attempts to ply him with food and drink kept throwing him off. His anger and frustration just seemed to bounce right off of her. Even his father's surly attitude didn't seem to deter her. Empty and unsure, he didn't know what to do with himself. He shoved his hands in his pockets.

Out of the blue, LaRusso demanded, "What's wrong with Minute Maid?"

Zoe's nose wrinkled. "Nothing, I guess, other than it tastes like ass. I don't know. We drink the Simply brand in my house," she said in way of explanation. Her shrug wasn't exactly apologetic, but it wasn't rude either.

Johnny snorted into his eggs.

LaRusso crossed his arms. "Well, this is my house and here we drink Minute Maid. If that's not good enough for you," he sneered, "then you don't have to drink it."

It was surprising how fast Johnny stood up. "Watch your fucking mouth, LaRusso!" His fists were clenched at his sides, itching to mess up his nemesis's face.

"Thank you for defending me," Zoe said calmly, "but I can handle a few pissy comments. Please eat."

"He shouldn't talk to you like that," he yelled at her, swinging his arm in LaRusso's direction.

Zoe put her hands on the island and raised both brows. "I know." Her voice remained even, if it was a bit quieter than before, as if compensating for Johnny's volume. She tilted her head down, her dark eyes steady.

For a long moment he stood, hands loose by his sides, as he scowled back.

The tension in the kitchen doubled as they continued to stare at the other. Both refused to look away. Standing nearby, Robby and LaRusso looked anywhere but the source of said tension.

"What is going on in here?"

LaRusso jolted at the appearance of his wife. "Amanda!" He yelped. "We – uh – I gave Johnny the car. It took a little longer than I expected. Just a little detour."

Amanda gaped at her husband. "Hold on a minute. Are you drunk?" She demanded, crossing her arms and leaning her weight forwards.

He sputtered for a while. Eventually he held up two fingers about an inch apart. He peered through the gap and admitted, "A little."

Her generous lips thinned. Her nostrils flared as she inhaled deeply. First the ordeal with getting Zarchanian to raise the rent on that strip mall. Then he – a full grown man – almost fought another full grown on their patio. And now _this_. To say that Amanda was irritated would be an understatement.

A sudden shake of the orange juice drew everyone's attention. "Hi!" She said brightly. "Thirsty? I was about to pour a glass for LaRusso."

"No, I'm good thanks," Amanda replied sharply.

"I'll take some," Johnny piped up.

Zoe nodded her acknowledgement as she turned towards the cabinets. After a few failed attempts, she managed to find the cups.

"Daniel, who is this woman?" Amanda asked. "And why is Johnny Lawrence here?"

"Oh, I'm Zoe," Zoe declared, walking around the island to hand one of the glasses to LaRusso as she passed him. She set the other one beside Johnny's plate. "They had a little too much to drink so I drove them home. They wanted to – what's the word for it – spar? A rematch, I think."

LaRusso stepped to the side to set the glass of orange juice down. He started walking towards her with his arms raised. "Just a friendly rematch, for old time's sake," he assured his wife.

Nodding, Zoe leaned one hip against the island. She was close enough to Johnny that his elbow rubbed against her side. Despite the lack of personal space, he appeared largely unbothered.

Zoe gestured vaguely in Robby's direction as she continued, "We ran into Robby so I brought them in here to sober up. Sorry if we disturbed you."

"I'm more concerned about our son," Amanda informed her. She shot her husband a withering look. "Remember Anthony?"

"Did he wake up?" LaRusso fretted.

She frowned and shook her head. "I checked on him first."

"Sorry, Mrs. LaRusso," Robby said mournfully, hanging his head.

Maternal instinct welled up as she ducked around LaRusso to get to Robby. Gently she laid her across the boy's shoulders. "It's not your fault, sweetie. What are you doing here though? I thought Sam took you home hours ago?"

"Well, I kind of needed to talk to Mr. LaRusso…" he trailed off.

There was no need as to elaborate why that hadn't happened.

Tipping her head to the side, Zoe asked, "So how did you guys meet Robby?"

Amanda seemed startled by Zoe's presence; as if she had forgotten she was there. "He works for us at the dealership."

"Robby's one of our best employees," LaRusso boasted.

Johnny bristled. "Yeah, well, he's my son," he said aggressively. Some of the aggression eased when Zoe started rubbing large circles on his back, but it did nothing to change the scowl on his face.

This was news to Amanda. "I thought your last name was Keene?" She asked.

He couldn't meet her eyes as he replied, "It is… It's my mom's. I don't have my Dad's last name."

"Not my choice," Johnny pointed out in a growl.

"Nobody is questioning you about that," Zoe told him, gentle but firm. "They were asking Robby. Let him speak for himself, okay?"

He let out another growl that one might have interpreted as "fine".

It didn't take long for the boy to spill his guts. He came clean about the fake resume, about his age, and the real reason that he applied at LaRusso Auto Parts. He even admitted faking the ankle injury to get Samantha out of the house to go to a party.

The same party, if Zoe wasn't mistaken, that her brother and sister had attended. She kept quiet about that though.

"So you just did it to fuck with me?" Johnny asked, voice rough with emotion. When Robby nodded, Johnny had to turn away, the muscles in his shoulders bunching. "I'm – I've gotta go."

"Johnny, wait," LaRusso called after him.

Of course, Johnny didn't listen. They all flinched as the front door slammed shut.

Zoe pushed away from the island. "I'll go. I've got the keys, but I don't want him walking back to Reseda."

She hesitated and then moved to stand in front of Robby. Softly she cupped the boy's chin. He glared back at her defiantly, trying to hide the tears in his eyes. So much like his father.

A sad smile peeked out at him. "Try to forgive him. He won't admit it, but he's terrified of losing you. He loves you very much," she whispered.

Robby pulled his chin away. "No, he doesn't."

"You might think that, but you'd be surprised," she said. Her palms itched to smooth over his mussed hair. She knew he wouldn't have appreciated the gesture so she resisted. Instead, she urged him to think about it and ran out before Johnny could get too far.


	5. Chapter 5

The drive from Encino to Reseda was fraught with tension. Johnny brooded in the passenger seat. His dark mood filled the car until Zoe thought she might suffocate. Rolling her window down didn't help. Any time she considered trying to talk to him, the words died on her tongue. What could she even say?

Zoe parked the car and shut off the engine. The keys jingled as she fiddled with them in her lap.

Johnny remained silent.

She sighed. "Is it alright if I use your restroom?"

"I don't fucking care," he spat.

Taking a deep breath in through her nose, Zoe reminded herself that it wasn't her that he was talking to like that. Not really. Johnny was angry and hurt and was lashing out at whoever was nearest. He was also probably still a little drunk from earlier. If she was in his place, she probably wouldn't be very nice either.

"Cool. Let's go then," she said her tone carefully light.

Unlike her previous experiences at Johnny's apartment, he was actually able to walk himself to the front door. Zoe handed him the keys and followed him inside.

The place was just as much of a wreck as she remembered. Side stepping around the empty beer cans scattered around, she made for the bathroom. It was just as filthy as the rest of the apartment – if not more so. She hurried up and did her business and escaped to the living room.

Johnny had already claimed the couch. He was sprawled out across all of the cushions with his feet propped up on the arm rest. His forearm was thrown over his eyes. One might have thought he was asleep if it weren't for the harsh lines of the scowl he wore.

Zoe walked over to him. "We should probably get these off," she said as she began tugging at the laces of his shoes. He might not care about getting muck on the couch now, but he might later.

Johnny kicked her away. "Don't touch me."

"Fine," she sighed as she raised her arms in surrender. She stepped back and sank into the recliner.

He lifted his arm up to glare at her. She dropped her chin onto her hand and stared back at him blankly.

"Why are you even here?" He demanded, dropping his arm back onto his face. "I didn't ask for your help."

"Yeah, well, you're getting it anyways," she replied.

"Christ! You are such a controlling bitch," he grumbled.

Her brows rose up. "The fuck did you just say?"

He pushed himself into a semi-upright position, balancing his weight on his elbows. There was a mulish set to his jaw. "I said that you're a controlling bitch."

"That's what I thought you said," she said mildly, her expression easing back into boredom.

He scoffed and flopped backwards. "Brat."

She made a noncommittal noise as she pulled out her phone. Theoretically, she could have walked back to Sweetwater; but in these heels, and at this time of night? It was safer to order an Uber.

"Aren't you going to call me an asshole or something?" He demanded when her silence became too much for him.

"I don't need to tell you that. You already know you're being asshole," she pointed out. She lifted her gaze from her phone to raise one brow at him. "Why? Did you want me to?"

He shook his head, but it didn't seem as though he was answering her question. He was lost in his own little world.

"This is all LaRusso's fault," he declared.

She put her phone away. "How is it LaRusso's fault that you're acting like an asshole?"

"No," he said aggressively to the ceiling, "about Robby. It's his fault that my son… He's over there when he should be with me and now…" He trailed off, shaking his head again.

Curling her legs underneath her, Zoe turned to face him more directly. "You know what I think?"

"I don't fucking care what you think," he replied. There was no heat behind his words – only exhaustion.

"I think," she continued on blithely, "that Robby thinks that you don't care about him. I think that if you tried -"

"I have tried!"

She pursed her lips. "Johnny, please don't interrupt me."

He grumbled something as he settled back deeper into the couch. She didn't bother trying to decipher it, knowing that it was probably something unfavorable about her. Maybe LaRusso, since Johnny seemed set on blaming him. Either way, it didn't matter.

"Have you tried inviting him over for dinner? Or spending time with him at all?" She asked.

"Yes, of course I fucking have. I've tried everything. That kid hates me, Zo. I even asked Shannon if he could live with me but… nothing. I hadn't seen him since." His jaw clenched in a staccato rhythm.

"Until tonight," she said softly.

"Until tonight," he echoed, more pain than anger leaking through.

She bit her lip. "He's your son. You can't stop trying."

"I don't want to talk about it."

She sighed. "Johnny…"

"I said I don't want to talk about it, Zoe! Drop it, okay?" He snapped.

She folded her hands in her lap and nodded. "Okay."

There was nothing left to say after that. Zoe turned on the television in attempt to drown out the silence. It was no use. Just like in the car, Johnny's mood filled the entire room. It was almost a relief when her phone dinged, letting her know that her ride was waiting outside.

On her way out, Zoe stopped. She turned around and walked over to Johnny to kneel by the couch. Tentatively, she reached out to stroke his blond hair. When he didn't push her away, she told him, "I know you said to drop it but- "

"I did," was his scathing reminder.

"Please, just listen to me," she whispered.

His jaw clenched.

She continued to stroke his hair. "Promise me you won't give up on Robby. Promise me, that no matter how hard he tries to push you away, that you won't give up."

"Why?" He demanded. "I told you, Zo – Robby hates me. My own damn kid hates me."

Sadly she shook her head. "Do you know what he told me earlier?"

"No. What?"

"That he doesn't think that you love him."

His blue eyes speared through her, all pain and guilt and self-loathing. Quickly, he turned his head away.

Zoe, wanting him to understand how deeply she felt about this, forced him to look at her. She ignored the wounded look he wore. "Robby deserves to be loved by his father. You need to show him."

He shut his eyes. "Get out," he whispered.

Knowing that there wasn't anything else that she could do, she stood. She adjusted her purse on her shoulder and backed away from the couch. "Try to get some sleep," she said softly. "I'll see you at the tournament tomorrow."

There was no reply. She didn't bother waiting for one.

* * *

Lights were still on in the house when Zoe finally got home. Sighing, she trudged up the walkway.

Tallulah was in the living room. She immediately turned off the television. "Hey."

The makeup Tallulah had put on for the party was long gone. Her hair had been braided back into pigtails, her go-to hairstyle for bed, and she was wearing her favorite fluffy pink lounge pants.

Zoe smiled tiredly as she kicked off her heels. "Hi. You didn't have to wait up for me."

"It's okay," she said. "I wanted to."

Zoe clambered onto the couch next to her sister, pulling a random blanket over both of their laps. Tallulah scooted closer to her. She wiggled until she could lay her head on Zoe shoulder. It was as if, for a moment, she had reverted back to her eight year old self.

Resting her cheek on the top of Tallulah's head, Zoe basked in the freely given affection.

"How was the party?" She asked.

Tallulah's nod was hindered by their position. "Good. Nobody died."

A snort escaped her. "That's good to hear. Where's Willard?

"The baby already went to bed."

"He does have a karate tournament tomorrow. And he's not so much of a baby anymore," she reminded her. Pulling back slightly, she tilted her head to look at Tallulah properly. "Speaking of which: are you coming with us?"

"To the tournament?" Tallulah asked.

Zoe nodded. Quickly, she assured her, "You don't have to if you don't want to."

From past experience she had learned that forcing Tallulah to do anything was an uphill battle. She really, really, really wanted Tallulah to say yes.

She shrugged. "Yeah, it's no big deal. I think I'll go."

Her brows shot up. She didn't even bother hiding the surprise in her voice. "Oh? Good. That makes me happy."

"Yeah," Tallulah yawned and burrowed deeper into Zoe's chest. "Maybe we'll get lucky and someone will break his nose."

Another snort escaped her before she could stop it. "You are a vicious thing, Tallulah Mae. Did you know that?"

"I might've heard that one before," she answered, smug as a cat.

Once her chuckles died down, she gave her sister one final squeeze. "If you're going with us tomorrow, we should both be headed off to bed. We'll be leaving early. Alright?"

With a whine Tallulah dragged herself to her feet. She raised her arms above her head in a long stretch. The tank top she wore rode up, exposing her flat, tan midriff. She dropped her arms with a satisfied huff. "Alright. Goodnight, Zoe."

"Goodnight, Lulu. I love you."

"Love you, too," Tallulah called over her shoulder.

A sad smile spread across Zoe's face. It was true that neither of her siblings were as affectionate as they had been when they were small. They were both growing up. As much as that hurt to admit, Zoe also knew that she wouldn't change them for the world. She only hoped that, when all was said and done and they left to start the rest of their lives, they remembered how much she loved them.

Wishing for a drink but knowing that it was too late, Zoe heaved herself off the couch. Tomorrow was the big day.


	6. Chapter 6

The parking lot was a madhouse. The normally amicable Zoe was ready to get out of the car and kick somebody's windshield in. Or, on second thought, maybe just a taillight.

"It's a damn good thing we carpooled," Veronica declared as she scrolled through her phone. "If it'd be me driving in this mess, my ass would've already been on my way to jail."

A silvery blue Infiniti suddenly backed out in front of them. Zoe slammed on the brakes. It was her hyper vigilance alone that saved them from getting T-boned.

Sticking her head out the window, Veronica started hollering at the top of her lungs. Most of what she said wasn't very nice. Her hand slammed against the exterior of her door at crucial points of her rant to emphasize her point.

The driver of the Infiniti didn't dare show their face. Nobody within hearing range could blame them.

"That's right," Veronica bellowed as slid back into her seat. "Pansy ass bitches."

From the backseat, Veronica's son, Kingston, was as attached to his phone as his mother had been a moment before. Without looking up, he said, "Classy, Mom."

"Can we hurry up? I don't want to be late," Willard whined.

"Hurry where, dumbass?" Tallulah demanded, gesturing to the unmoving vehicles boxing them in.

Kingston snorted. "Nice one, Lulu." His eyes were still firmly glued to his phone screen.

Zoe's fingers were wrapped so tightly around the steering wheel that it hurt. She wouldn't have been too shocked if the thing snapped right off.

In a very low, barely-clinging-to-reason voice, she said, "If everybody… could please… be quiet."

"You heard her. Quit your bickering," Veronica ordered. "Willard, if you're too anxious to wait, go and walk yourself to the front."

Zoe inhaled sharply. "No, no, no," she rushed out. "I want to walk him in. Willard, honey, just be patient, okay?"

Crossing his arms, Willard huffed and slammed himself back into the seat. He glowered at nothing in particular.

At the pointed look Zoe sent her, Veronica shrugged. She gestured to the opening space in front of them. "Go on, girl. Do your thing."

Facing front again took considerable effort. Her fingers flexed around the wheel.

"Almost there," she muttered to herself. "Almost there."

Fortunately for everyone involved, the ticket booth retained a bit more order than the parking lot had. While Willard peeled off to join his fellow Cobras, the rest of the group set out to find an open section in the bleachers. Zoe spotted a spot with a good view they were able to snag. The pointy elbows of Veronica and Tallulah were to thank.

Tallulah got up onto the bench. The slippery surface under her four inch heels caused her to wobble. She used the passive Kingston's shoulder as leverage to search the crowd.

In a burst of excitement, she popped up onto the balls of her feet. "I see Moon!"

"I see your polka dots," Zoe replied mildly.

Running a hand over the back of her skirt, Tallulah maneuvered to stand on relatively stable ground. "Can we go?"

"Who says I want to hang out with your lame ass Hills friends?" Kingston muttered from behind her.

"Fine. You can stay here," she said with an airy wave. She put her hands on her hips and tilted her head at Zoe. "May I go now?"

Zoe nodded. "Yes. Meet you at the vending machines afterwards?"

"Sure. Love you." She wiggled her fingers goodbye and sashayed away; as much as one could when going down metal bleacher stairs.

Leaning over to murmur in Zoe's ear, Veronica said, "Wait for it…"

Two beats later, Kingston looked up from his phone. He blinked. "Oh, shit. Hey, Lu! Wait up!" He dashed down the stairs after her.

The two women shared a laugh at his expense.

"Thank you so much for coming with me," Zoe said for the umpteenth time.

She blew off her gratitude with a flippant wave. "Girl, don't even mention it. Now I see why you asked though," she remarked, gesturing to the noticeable lack of teenagers (that they knew, at least).

"I would've been bored!" She half whined.

"So bored," Veronica agreed with a toothy grin.

The conversation jumped right into one their most common topics: their businesses.

Zoe had actually met Veronica at Sweetwater. Back then they had both been cocktail waitresses. That had been before Veronica decided to tackle her tattoo apprenticeship. Like everything else in her life, she had gone full throttle.

The two had been too good of friends not to keep in touch. Their families hung out regularly. Kingston and Tallulah had hated each other with a passion for the first three months of knowing each other. Inexplicably, the then preteens completely flipped the script on the adults and were suddenly being – of all things – amicable towards one another. They had been the best of friends ever since. It made their family get-togethers that much easier to maintain.

Since Veronica had her phone out, Zoe asked her what time is was. When she told her, Zoe cursed under her breath and jumped up.

"What's wrong?" Veronica demanded.

"I wanted to get a picture of Willard before they started," she explained, digging for her phone. "Do you mind watching my purse?"

"Go on, boo. I got yo purse," Veronica jested, grabbing the purse out of Zoe's hands.

With a snort, she thanked her and hurried off. As she tried to find the locker room she sure wished she had a pointy set of elbows to help her through. Nothing on Zoe could be described as pointy. There was a reason why her dad had referred to her as a "chunk" for most of her childhood.

Up ahead she spotted Johnny. His frame, especially in that black gi, cut a very distinct figure. Zoe pushed her way through the last few feet and tapped on Johnny's shoulder.

He jumped when he recognized her. "Zoe! I didn't see you there," he muttered, not meeting her eyes.

She shrugged. "That's because I wasn't there before. Listen; is Willard – I mean, Virgin in there? I want to take some pictures before he gets blood on his gi." She waved her phone for evidence.

"Yeah, he's getting changed," he said.

After a few seconds passed, she smiled and quirked a brow. Did he expect her, a full grown woman, to walk into a locker room full of boys? When he still didn't move, she asked, "Will you go get him for me please?"

He nodded once, his eyes falling shut. "Right. I – yeah, I'll send him out." He disappeared before Zoe could thank him.

Capturing a lock of hair between her fingers, Zoe played with it as she waited. Usually a flustered Johnny was a source of amusement for her. She worried that the reason he was acting so strangely was not because he was flustered, but because he didn't want to talk to her.

Mentally she chided herself. Why had she said all those things to him the night before? If someone came into her house and started critiquing her relationships with her family, she wouldn't want to talk to them either.

She sighed. She slid her phone into her back pocket and then smoothed both hands down her thighs. If she hurt Johnny's feelings, then so be it. She had already said what she had said and there was no taking it back. He might forgive her. Time would tell.

"Zoe!"

The voice calling her name knocked her out of her gloomy thoughts. She twisted this way and that looking for the source until she saw Willard poking his head around a corner. Jerkily, she moved towards him.

He craned his neck to look behind her. "Is Tallulah with you?"

"No," she answered slowly. "She and King went to sit with Moon. Why?"

He sighed and finally walked out, revealing himself.

Zoe couldn't help herself. She squealed. "You look so handsome! Why haven't I seen this one before? It looks good." She tugged on the lapel of his gi and again on the belt. She nodded slowly. "Nice."

"They're new. Sensei gave them to us a few minutes ago. But, Zoe, I don't think I can do this!" He hissed the last part at her, looking over his shoulder covertly.

She squeezed the tops of his arms. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"What if I mess up?" He fretted. "What if I embarrass Sensei Lawrence and he doesn't want me to come back to Cobra Kai?"

She laughed, half out of relief. "That's it?"

"Zo!" He groaned, pushing her hands away. "This is a serious problem."

Grinning, she chafed his arms and gently shushed him. "I'm sorry, honey. I'm not laughing at you. It's just nerves. Take a deep breath, okay?" He did as instructed. "Good. Alright, now let it out." He let out an explosive breath. "Okay. Run it by me again. What's the worst thing that could happen?"

He sighed and dropped his head to his chest. "Sensei is disappointed in me and doesn't want to train me anymore."

She nodded slowly, considering this. "Okay. That would be really shitty, I agree. I don't think your Sensei would do that though. He wants to teach you, doesn't he?"

"He won't if he sees how much of a pussy I am," he muttered dejectedly.

"You're not a pussy so you don't have to worry about that. But, since you _are_ worried about it, let's say that's what happens. That would suck, yes, but there is more than one karate dojo in the Valley," she reasoned with him.

Blue eyes lit up with furious indignation. Through clenched teeth, he insisted, "I want to train at Cobra Kai!"

Tilting her head and raising one brow, she brought her hands to shoulder height. "That's up to you, bud. This is us just talking. Okay, so what's the best thing that could happen?"

His brow furrowed. The possibility of a good scenario hadn't occurred to him. "I could… win the tournament?"

"That would be awesome," she said, properly impressed at the idea.

She would be proud of him no matter how he placed. That went without question. Winning the tournament? While not impossible, it was probably a bit farfetched.

She shrugged. "If you're sure that you want to leave, we can go right now," she promised. "But is that really what you want to do, Willard?"

After a moment, he shook his head. "No. I want to stay."

Her whole face lit up. "That's my boy. Now get over by that wall so I can take a picture of you." She shooed him along.

Rolling his eyes with a fond shake of his head, he did as told. He held every pose requested of him. To appease his sister, he even allowed her to take a selfie with him. It shouldn't have surprised him when she planted a big wet kiss on his cheek.

Snorting laughter carried as Zoe watched her little brother scrub at his cheek. His nose was scrunched in disgust as he saw the red lipstick smeared on the back of his hand. He shot her a deeply disgruntled look. She snorted harder.

"Go," she laughed. "I'll see you afterwards. And hey – I love you, Virgin."

He rolled his eyes again and sighed but returned the sentiment.

* * *

Part of Tallulah wished that she knew more about karate. Not a lot. She certainly wasn't going to be hitting anyone anytime soon. Words were her weapon of choice. However, a little bit would go a long way in understanding what the hell was going on down on the mats.

Tallulah's gaze followed Aisha's retreating form. Absently, she said, "I'm going to be right back."

Kingston grunted in acknowledgement. Moon might have said something back but Tallulah was already making her way out of the stands.

She found Aisha in an empty hall. Taking a deep breath, she purposefully moved her shoes so that her steps echoed against the linoleum. She didn't want to startle her.

Aisha looked up and quickly looked away, wiping her face. "What do you want?"

"These heels are killing me," she lied. "Mind if I sit?"

Aisha shrugged.

Delicately, Tallulah perched on the edge of the bench. She crossed her legs and smoothed down her skirt with one hand. Zoe's earlier comment regarding her polka dotted underwear was still fresh in her mind.

Once that was taken care of, she held out the bag of Skittles she had brought. "Want one?"

After a long moment, Aisha sighed and held out her hand. She ignored the triumphant grin Tallulah shot her by picking through the candies in her palm.

"That was a pretty good fight," she declared.

The slumped line of Aisha's shoulders tightened and hunched. "I lost," she reminded her.

Tallulah nodded and popped a few Skittles into her mouth. "Yeah, but that doesn't make it any less good. Besides, you won that first one, right?"

"Yeah," Aisha admitted.

"Do you think you could teach me a few moves?" Tallulah asked.

That got her to crack a smile. "You? In a fight? Somehow, I have a hard time picturing that."

She rolled her eyes and bumped her shoulder against Aisha's. "Because I'm so warm and cuddly, right?"

"I think you're warm," Aisha mumbled. She looked down the other end of the hall and nibbled on a red Skittle.

"Ha!" Tallulah tossed her head. The black ribbons she had fastened to her pigtail buns that morning shimmered under the fluorescent light. "Don't be ridiculous. And don't let anyone else hear you say that either. I have a reputation as a frigid bitch to uphold."

She shook her head, mouth pressed into a serious line. "I never called you that!"

She tilted her head and studied Aisha for a long moment. "No, I don't think you did. But you did call me an Ice Queen," she said evenly.

"How did you -?"

"Samantha told me," she said shortly.

Tallulah dumped a couple more Skittles into her hand. She held them out to Aisha and only continued speaking once she had accepted them. "You know, it's alright. I actually don't mind that one."

Her mouth screwed up on one side as she considered this. "I think it would bother me," she told her.

Tallulah merely shrugged. "Could you think of a better moniker for me than Queen?" She lifted her nose in the air and looked at Aisha imperiously. The expression was held for only a few seconds before she broke into a warm smile.

"No, I guess not," she said softly, eyes gentle and untroubled for the first time since Tallulah found her.

She leaned against Aisha's shoulder and poked her thigh. "There she is," she sang.

"What are you talking about?" Playfully she pushed her off.

"Quit it!" Tallulah giggled, poking her again.

She poked her right back. "You quit it!"

The two girls locked eyes. Aisha tried to choke back a laugh, clapping her hand over her mouth, but it came out her nose instead. Both of their eyes widened at the strange sound. They dissolved into laughter, using each other for support as they fought for breath.

The first few attempts at calming down were undone as soon as they made eye contact again. Tears leaked out onto Aisha's cheeks. Using the sleeve of her undershirt, she wiped them away. Beside her a random giggle would bubble up even as Tallulah clutched the place where she was developed a side stitch.

Once they had both calmed down, Aisha found that Tallulah was much closer than she had been before. She swallowed hard. She also didn't move away.

Hazel eyes peered up from under mascara-darkened lashes. "Aisha?"

Her voice broke as she replied, "Yeah?"

Tallulah smiled, her gaze darting over Aisha's face as the color spread. "You have such pretty skin," she blurted out.

Blinking rapidly, Aisha drew away. "What?"

She covered her mouth with both hands. Above a row of neatly painted yellow nails, her eyes were huge with horror. "Oh my god," she squeaked, "I totally didn't mean to say that. Oh my god – this is so bad." She made an anguished noise as she buried her face in her hands.

"Um, it's okay, it's okay," she rushed out, grasping onto Tallulah's wrists.

"Nooooooo, it's nooooooot," she moaned.

Aisha laughed and tugged on her wrists. "Stop, it's fine!"

Tallulah let her hands be pulled away. "Really?" She asked in a tiny voice.

"Yes," she insisted.

"Okay…" She bit her lip. "Since I already embarrassed myself, I might as well do it again. Nothing to lose, right?"

Her cheeks twitched as she suppressed another laugh. "I guess so?"

"Okay, well, then – can I kiss you?"

Whatever Aisha had been expecting, that hadn't been it. She looked done at her lap. Somehow their fingers had gotten tangled together. She flexed them, suddenly dumbfounded at how they curled around each other.

"Aisha?" Tallulah squeaked. She cleared her throat and asked, "Is that a no?"

Aisha shook her head. "No – I mean, yes, you can."

One of Tallulah's hands wiggled its way free and came up to cup Aisha's cheek. The muscles of Aisha's throat moved as she gulped. She leaned in, their noses bumping. Tallulah took a deep breath, as if preparing for a dive, and kissed her.

The circuits in Tallulah's brain misfired.

She kept a steady pressure against Aisha's lips but it was strange. It was as if she were floating outside of her body. She had imagined kissing Aisha so many times. It was happening – right now – but it hadn't gone to plan, like, at all, and she didn't even know if Aisha liked girls but she had said yes and now it was happening. It didn't feel real.

Aisha's free hand skimmed across her arm. The faint touch sent shivers up Tallulah's spine. It grounded her. It also made her realize that she had stopped breathing.

Tallulah pulled back with a gasp. She didn't go far. It was close enough that Aisha's sugary sweet breath bounced off her face. Or was that Tallulah's breath? It was too close to tell.

"Okay?" Her thumb brushed underneath Aisha's eyes, taking away the last of the remnants from their earlier laughing fit.

Aisha ducked her head to peck Tallulah on the mouth. "Very okay," she promised.

She might as well have promised the moon. Tallulah kissed her once more, savoring the moment. Their kisses tasted like candy.

"Oh!"

The two broke apart as if zapped.

Aisha exclaimed, "Sam!" Nothing else came out despite how her mouth kept moving.

Samantha twisted her hands together anxiously as she looked between Aisha and Tallulah. "I didn't mean to interrupt," she managed to get out, stumbling over her words. She paused, her brows drawing together as she said, "Wait. What did I interrupt?"

"Lulu brought me candy," Aisha blurted out.

Tallulah regarded Aisha and then turned to Samantha and nodded earnestly. "I did."

"And we might have kissed a little bit," she admitted, making an awkward gesture.

"Yes, we did," Tallulah agreed.

Sam took a step back as if overwhelmed. "Oh. Okay. I was coming to talk to you, uh, Aisha. If later would be better…?" She trailed off, making an awkward gesture of her own.

"Yes," Tallulah answered for Aisha, her tone firm, "it would."

She opened her mouth but changed her mind. Tugging at the hem of her shirt, she smiled, turned on her heel, and scurried back out where she came from.

Tallulah looked at Aisha. Aisha looked back. The giggles struck again. They ducked their heads together, trying to smother the sound with kisses.

* * *

Zoe checked her phone. No new messages.

Sighing, she shoved the phone into her purse. It was taking herculean willpower to not send Tallulah a dozen texts.

Kingston had joined Zoe and Veronica once the tournament had progressed to the final round. Tallulah hadn't been with him. This didn't concern Zoe too much at first. Time was edging onwards. She shifted on her feet and dug her phone out again.

No new messages.

Just as the worry was beginning to gnaw at her, Zoe spotted her coming through the crowd. She had a certain presence about her that made her effortless to spot.

There was something wrong though. Well, not wrong – something distinctly un-Lulu-like. Tallulah looked like she was walking on air. And she was all… smiley. Smiley was not something that people usually attributed to her. It bordered on being unnerving.

"What's up with you?"

Tallulah tossed her head. "Why does something have to be _up_ with me?"

What gave her away was that tiny squeak. Zoe's keen hazel eyes narrowed and then darted over her sister. She landed on her mouth. "What happened to your lipstick?" She asked suspiciously.

Whipping around, her hand flew to cover her mouth. "Nothing!" She squeaked.

A Cheshire cat's grin curled her lips. "Liar," she accused in a hiss.

"Stop it!" Tallulah squealed, smacking Zoe on the arm.

She snorted and shook her head. "As long as it stays above the clothes, I won't ask unless you tell me to." She shrugged.

There was a tangible hesitation. Brow twitching, Zoe looked over at her sister. She suddenly looked younger and vulnerable as she bit her lip. Again, another adjective that didn't fit right on her.

"What is it?"

Tallulah ducked her head. "What if it doesn't stay above clothes?"

A flash of panic stabbed Zoe. She swallowed hard. "Uh – did it – here?"

Widening her eyes in warning and pursing her lips, Tallulah gave a hot "No!" in denial.

She couldn't hide her relief. She knew that Tallulah was seventeen – a very recent seventeen, a part of her mind screamed – and also knew how she had been when she was seventeen. The idea of her little sister having sex did awful things to her stomach. Zoe could only imagine how it must have been for her dad when she had gone to him for advice.

Draping her arm over Tallulah's shoulders, she asked, "Have you ever heard of a dental dam?"

Tallulah looked at her like she was an alien. "The hell is that?"

"Sexual protection," she explained, "for those of a Sapphic persuasion. I have no clue how it works, but I'm sure a little research will show us the light."

A reluctant smile lifted the corners of her mouth. She wrapped her arm around Zoe's waist and leaned her weight into her side. "You're a dork," she said with more than a little fondness.

"I'm going to interpret that as a 'thank you' and graciously accept," she declared brightly.

They headed outside to join the others in the waiting car.

There was a very awkward conversation in her future. More than one, if she was being realistic. The first one hadn't gone up in flames. That was promising. Zoe started to feel a little lighter about the situation when she remembered: Willard would be turning fifteen soon. What a completely different ballgame that would be.

The horror of that realization suddenly made her very, very thirsty.


	7. Chapter 7

It was after midnight. Kingston and Veronica had left after the celebratory dinner, hours ago. Zoe's hopes of an early night never came true.

It had taken astronomical levels of patience to coax Willard down from his post-victory high. Nothing could make him sit still. He couldn't quiet down, no matter how hard he tried. He was too pumped about his dojo's win. It didn't matter to him that he hadn't made it to the semi-finals because he was part of Cobra Kai and Cobra Kai had won.

Tallulah hadn't been much help. She had spent most of the evening glued to her phone. During dinner, Kingston had huffed at being ignored, accusing her of wearing heart-eyes. It showed how deep she was when Tallulah didn't bother with a comeback.

Eventually, Willard tired himself out. Everyone was gone. The house was quiet. Zoe could finally relax.

She had just taken off her bra and slipped into some sweatpants when her phone started to ring. Her mouth puckered in irritation. What ungodly person called at this hour? She was tempted to let it go to voicemail.

Sighing, she answered the unknown number. "Hello?"

"Hey, Zo."

Of all the voices that she had expected, Johnny's wasn't one of them. "Hi," she said dumbly, unable to think of anything else to say.

"You busy?"

Zoe glanced longingly at her bed. The covers were turned down and her pillows were situated just the way she liked. It looked so inviting.

"No," she replied, "what's up? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I… no. It's not."

A million scenarios ran through her head, each of them more devastating that the last. Johnny on the side of the road, his car totaled; Johnny in jail; Johnny in the hospital. Her pulse quickened. "What's going on?" She demanded.

"Can you come over?"

Pinning her phone between her ear and her shoulder, she shucked her sweats and grabbed her jeans off the dresser. It didn't matter what time it was. She could text Tallulah on her way out. "Yeah, of course. Where are you at?"

"I'm at the dojo," he said, "just me and Jim Bean."

"Save me a drink. I'm on my way."

Zoe got to the Reseda strip mall in record time. The dojo was dark but the door was unlocked so she went inside. Light was coming from the window of Johnny's office so, with determined steps, that's where she went.

He lifted his head from his desk. Blearily he squinted at her. After a beat, he gave her a lopsided smile. "Hey."

"Hi," she replied in kind. Quickly she took in his disheveled appearance. The office didn't appear any more chaotic than usual. It stank like booze and stale sweat, but that was normal, too. He most likely hadn't done anything too bad yet.

She tilted her head at the nearly empty bottle. "Is this how you celebrate first place?"

His face fell. He pretended to study the label on the bottle. "Doesn't feel like I've got a whole lot to celebrate right now," he muttered bitterly.

She sighed. Going around the desk, she leaned down to cradle his jaw. "Talk to me."

He shook his head, dislodging her hands. "It's… you wouldn't understand."

Zoe perched on the edge of his desk. Deftly she plucked the bottle from his loose grip and took a swig. "Try me," she challenged.

A sigh, tired and weary, poured out of him as he leaned back in his chair. His hand passed over his face. "You saw what happened today. At the tournament."

Slowly she nodded. "You mean what happened with Robby."

"Yeah," he said with a harsh laugh. "What a shit show that was."

"You feel responsible for what your student did." It wasn't a question. Being intimately familiar with guilt, she could read it plainly on his face.

His gaze fell to the wayside. "Yeah," he admitted.

Zoe took another swig and carefully set the bottle on the shelf beside her. She reached out to place her hand on her knee. Her face was dead serious as she asked, "Did you tell him to do it?"

He glared at her. "What? No! Of course I didn't. That's my son, for fuck's sake."

She patted his knee. "I didn't think so. I just wanted to hear you say it."

"Brat," he mumbled, pouting. No grown man should look so adorable doing that. Somehow, Johnny did.

Leaning back, she looked up to the ceiling. There were watermarks galore. One of the ceiling tiles was missing. "I have to ask, Johnny. Do you want my advice or do you want me to wallow with you in your misery?"

"Well, when you say it like that," he said sarcastically.

She snorted and shook her head. She flashed him an amused look. "You can be such an asshole. Answer the damn question."

"A bossy brat," he amended his earlier statement. He squinted at her for a long time before he let his head fall back with an exaggerated groan. "Go ahead. Let's hear it. What have got today, Doctor Phil?"

"What I've got is a little thing called 'common sense'," she said. "And that common sense is: you need to talk to your son. Maybe even have a chat with your students about fighting honorably. Like, not attacking people when their backs are turned. That's a good place to start."

He scoffed. "I can handle my students, alright? It's Robby that's the fucking problem."

"I don't think he is. I think he's just working with what he has. Did you talk to him after the tournament?" She asked, raising her brows.

"Yeah," he said, nodding once.

She nodded, scooting a little closer. "Okay, good. What did you say?"

His eyes cut to the left. "Not much," he said.

Her brows rose higher as she leaned into his line of sight. "And that means…?"

"I said I was sorry."

"For what?" She asked.

He shook his head. "I don't fucking know. Everything, I guess. What Hawk did, him losing to Diaz, not being there when he was growing up. Everything."

"Did you say all that?"

A wry grin lifted one side of his mouth. "No," he admitted. "He left with that bastard before I got the chance."

It didn't take a genius to figure out who 'that bastard' was. Zoe chose to ignore that part. Instead, she asked, "Did you say anything about him winning second place?"

Again he shook his head. "Didn't come up."

"If you could, what would you say?"

He heaved a sigh. "That he fought well. If it hadn't been for my Cobras, he would've wiped the competition."

"That's good!" She enthused. "Tell him that. Don't you think that part of the reason that he showed up today was because he wanted you to be proud of him?"

"Maybe," he mumbled, not looking at her.

Zoe looked down at her lap. She bit her lip, wondering if what she was about to say would ruin everything, just like it had the night before. It needed to be said though. If Zoe was anything, she wasn't a coward.

In a soft voice, she asked, "Don't you think Robby deserves to hear that?"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Johnny growled.

She threw him an annoyed glance. "You asked for my advice, Johnny Lawrence. Here it is." She leaned forward, grabbing his face in both hands, and said, "The longer you wait, the harder it's going to be to get him to believe you. Talk to him."

"It's not that simple, Zo," he protested.

"Yes, it is," she said sternly. "Talk to your goddamned son, Johnny."

His shoulders slumped as his eyes fell shut. He grabbed her right wrist, keeping it in place, and turned his face into her palm. His lips brushed against her as he said, "I know. I will."

She carded her fingers through his hair with her free hand. It was so soft. The blond was starting to show signs of gray. She stroked the hair off his forehead. The sudden urge to kiss his brow nearly overwhelmed her. She wanted to tell him that she was sorry, although she wasn't sure for. In the end, all she said was, "Good."

He huffed out a noise that was almost a laugh. He dropped his hand, finally releasing her. Reluctantly, she sat up.

"So, what do we do now?" He asked.

"Now," she said as she grabbed the bottle off the shelf, "we drink."

It was hard to tell how long they sat in the office for. The Jim Bean was polished off quickly and they moved on to an off-brand Vodka Johnny pulled out from behind the mini-fridge.

"Jesus," Zoe exclaimed as she wrinkled her nose. "That stuff taste like cleaning fluid."

Johnny shrugged. "It works. Taste doesn't really matter." He swallowed a sip with a grimace before handing the bottle back.

"I disagree, but that might just be the alcohol snob in me," she admitted.

That got him to crack a smile and Zoe couldn't help the sense of accomplishment she felt. They talked about the Dodgers and the Patriots. They talked about cheesy 80's movies. She showed him pictures of her pet snake. They argued about which decade had better music (Zoe was split between the 70's and the 90's). He told her stories from high school that had her gasping for breath from laughing too hard. The topic of Robby was carefully avoided.

The bell above the door chimed. Johnny's brows drew together as he stood up. "Diaz," he called, "is that you?" When no answer came, he told Zoe under his breath, "You stay here."

Mutely, she nodded.

Zoe tried to stay. She really, really did. But when she heard Johnny shouting, she had to see for herself.

She gasped when she saw that Johnny had his arm locked around another man's throat. "Johnny! What the hell are you doing?!"

"Go back to the office, Zo," he barked.

She hurried over and yanked on his arm. "Let him go. Johnny, he can't breathe!"

Instantly the man was released. He collapsed, gasping. Wanting as much distance between the two men as possible, Zoe tucked herself into Johnny's chest and urged him back, one step at a time.

They were halfway across the dojo when the man got to his knees. "I never tried to kill you," he rasped.

"Bullshit," Johnny snarled. His entire body trembled. His fists were tight by his side. The cords of muscles in his arms strained with his barely contained rage.

The man rubbed his throat and smirked at Johnny. He was awfully smug for someone who was being choked not two minutes ago. "You were weak. I was trying to help you. You'll understand one day."

"I think you need to leave," Zoe advised, struggling to keep her tone even. Her heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it was going to break free. She kept her arms against Johnny's chest, feeling his heart pounding as hard as hers.

The man finally found his footing. "You should stay out of this, sweetheart. This is between men."

"You heard her," Johnny snapped. "Get the fuck out of my dojo."

This seemed to amuse the man. He leaned back and bared his teeth in a predatory grin. "I'll be back," he promised, like a two-bit cartoon villain, before limping out the door.

Zoe looked up at Johnny with wide, imploring eyes. "Who was that?"

His jaw clenched, his attention firmly set on the window. "Someone I thought died a long time ago," he told her eventually.

A shiver ran down her spine. She backed up a few steps, letting her hands run down his arms until their hands joined. She gave them a tug. "Come on. Let's go back to the office. Please?"

Johnny couldn't seem to get his mind off that man – Kreese, he had informed her – no matter how hard she tried. Kreese's parting words echoed in her head. She hoped that man never showed his face at Cobra Kai again.


	8. Chapter 8

Zoe was in a superb mood. It was one of those obnoxiously positive, whistle inducing, smile-so-wide-it-hurts moods. One might say that she was having a perfect day. She knew why, too.

Last night had gone well. Willard was happy. Tallulah was happy. Johnny was going to talk to Robby. Apart from that old man Kreese showing up and the trashcan spontaneously setting on fire, damaging the wall, it had gone really well. Nothing was going to bring her down.

She was counting the till when she heard the front door open and close. "Hi, welcome to Sweetwater. I'll be with you in just one moment," she chirped. She didn't want to lose her place again.

"Is that any way to greet family?"

Zoe's elbow knocked into a canister of black straws. A wad of twenties in her right hand, she fumbled for the canister with her left. She winced when it hit the floor. Cursing, she scrambled to pick them up, knowing that she would have to throw them away anyways since they touched the ground.

He laughed. "I'm glad to see that things haven't changed much."

The urge to scream welled up inside her.

Taking a deep breath through her nose, she slowly straightened up, keeping her gaze down. Very deliberately she set the empty canister of the counter. She shoved the stacks of money back into the register.

There was nothing left to do. Swallowing, she turned to face her brother. "What are you doing here?"

He grinned roguishly. He'd shaven his scraggly beard since the last time she saw him, which was definitely for the best. "You say that like you haven't missed me," he accused playfully.

"Then let me try again," she said, gripping the counter edge. "What the fuck are you doing here, Kip?"

Kip whistled a long, low note. "Wow, sis. That's harsh."

"Good."

He sighed and ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair. "Do I need a reason to visit my family? I missed you. I missed Willy and the Biter. I wanted to make sure you're okay."

"We're all doing dandy, thanks," she said shortly.

"Don't be like that, Zoe," he pleaded, pulling a wounded puppy-dog face.

She shook her head. "How do you want me to be? Did you think that you could just waltz in here like the last six years never happened? What in the absolute fuck is wrong with you?"

"Look, I've made some mistakes," Kip acknowledged, laying his open palm over his heart, "but I've had an epiphany recently. I've seen the light, Zoe-girl, I really have. I want to be part of my family again."

"It's not like we kicked you out," she seethed. The edge of the counter was digging into her skin from how tightly she gripped it.

He tilted his head down, peering up at her from beneath his brow. "Everyone deserves a second chance," he said solemnly.

It couldn't be that easy. It never was with Kip. "How can I trust you?" She demanded.

Kip had the audacity to look shocked. "That hurts, Zo. What have I ever done to fuck you over?"

Her face contorted into something ugly. Before she could stop the words, she screamed, "How about when you left us the second fucking time?!"

Movement halted. Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at the owner and the newcomer.

Zoe ducked her head. Her cheeks burned in shame. In a harsh whisper, she said, "I'm not doing this here. You need to leave."

"Can't I get a drink?" He asked innocently.

There was a possibility that she was going to have bruises on her fingers from the way she was hanging onto the counter. If she let go, though, she was liable to slap her big brother.

She pursed her lips. "No."

He held up his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. But we are talking about this, Zo."

A fierce denial was on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to tell him, in no uncertain terms, that there was absolutely nothing to talk about between them. However, she had grown up with Kip. She knew his tricks. She wasn't going to let him goad her into an argument, especially not at work. She simply shook her head, closed her eyes, and waited for him to go.

Once she as sure he was gone, Zoe called over the one cocktail waitress she currently had on the clock. "Marie, will please cover the bar? I need a minute."

Zoe wasn't prone to raising her voice in anger; a good attribute for a bartender and a boss in Marie's opinion. Marie knew that whatever going on was serious. She nodded. "Sure thing, Zoe."

Zoe gave a wobbly smile in thanks and fled.

It had been a week since Kip showed up at Sweetwater. Seven days of avoiding his calls. She was lucky he didn't have Willard's or Tallulah's current phone numbers. Hopefully he wouldn't think to contact them over FaceBook.

He had even shown up while they were having Family Dinner. By random chance, Zoe had been the one volunteer to answer the door. She had barely stopped him from slamming it in Kip's face.

She refused him flat out. Family Dinner was sacred and he was not taking over with his drama. Kip spread drama like a drag queen tossed around glitter.

When he tried to get past her, she pushed him back onto the porch and shut the door behind her. She warned him to stay away from the house, and told him that he wasn't allowed to enter without an explicit invitation, or else she would call the police. It was mostly bluff but it got him to leave.

When she rejoined Tallulah and Willard, she told that it had been a complaining neighbor at the door. The lie tasted bitter on her tongue.

It was for the best, she reasoned. He wasn't going to stay. She just knew it. That's why shouldn't let him back. Kip leaving would break the kids' hearts if he abandoned them. It happened once already. Not again.

"Are you okay, Zo?"

She jerked out of her thoughts. She pasted on a bright smile. "Yeah, of course! Keep telling me about class. I'm listening, I promise."

Johnny set his beer aside. "You don't have to lie to me, you know. Tell me to shut up," he offered.

She placed her hand on his forearm. "Don't be silly," she chided. "I want to hear this. Please?"

"Nah. Don't listen to me. You put up with my yammering enough as it is." He shook his head.

She opened her mouth to protest. A customer down the bar cut her off. She called an acknowledgement before facing Johnny again. "You're telling me later," she ordered, pointing a finger at him.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever." Pointedly, he moved his attention to the TV mounted above the bar, pretending to be engrossed in the commercial.

After that, things got hectic behind the bar. A large party came in. They were loud and obnoxious. Zoe was pretty sure that the one they were all pushing around was getting married soon. She pasted on her best smile and ignored anything they said that wasn't drink related. By the time they left, she was ready to call it a night.

Then, Curtis called in. Curtis, who was supposed to have been her reprieve, sounded like he had been crying. His two year old had a severe reaction to a bee sting. Panic was clear in his voice as he babbled about how they hadn't even known that Isaac was allergic to bees.

Zoe understood all too well. Despite her feet and lower back screaming at her, she knew she had no choice. She could not, in good conscience, force an employee to work when their child was in the emergency room. There was no way that he was going to be able to come in tonight. Gritting her teeth, she told him that he could make it up next week and that she hoped that his little boy was alright.

Zoe traded her heels for a pair of flatter shoes. If she had learned one thing while working at Sweetwater, it was that backups shouldn't be overlooked. She kept a spare outfit in her office for just that reason.

Last call was 2am. She gave them all another hour to finish their drinks and then kicked them all out.

"Need help?" Johnny asked, making no move to get off the stool.

She grabbed a rag. "Want to wipe down tables for me?"

He made a face. "No, I'm good thanks."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "You stay on your throne, Your Majesty, and I'll take care of this. It'll be nice to have something pretty to look at while I'm cleaning. You leave when I'm done."

"So you admit that you think I'm pretty," he said, wiggling his brows.

"I've never denied it either," she retorted.

He wouldn't let it go. "But you do think I'm pretty."

"Yes, Johnny," Zoe groaned as she flipped the chairs onto the clean tables. "You are very, very pretty. You have pretty eyes and pretty hair and pretty muscles. All the boys fawn over you. Now, one of us has to work. May I?"

Snickering, he returned to watching the TV. He stayed that way until she declared that she was locking up.

Johnny followed her out the backdoor. He stood by, hands in the front pockets of his jeans, while she locked it.

She spun the key ring around her finger. She caught it and shot him a wink. "Goodnight, Johnny. I'll see you at the dojo tomorrow."

His hand ghosted over her elbow, causing her to pause. "Wait," he insisted. "I, um…"

She raised one brow at him. She was tired and her feet hurt. All she wanted to do was go home. "Did you want to ask me something?" She suggested.

"Sort of," he grumbled, brow furrowing.

"Then ask me," she said, her words carried out on a laugh.

Suddenly Johnny's hand was on the back of her neck and their mouths were smashed together. Her hands flew to his shoulders, unsure if she wanted to push him off or kiss him back. He started to pull away. Zoe rose up on the balls of her to chase him down.

His lips were chapped and warm. A hint of stubble scraped her chin as he slotted his mouth across her. She could taste Coors. She wanted more.

Her hands slid over his broad shoulders and up his neck to bury in his hair. She could feel herself moving backwards but didn't pay it much attention. She had other things on her mind.

Something hard dug into her back as she half-stumbled into the door. She made an undignified noise of surprise.

Chuckling, Johnny raised his head. He cradled the back of her head. The tip of his nose brushed across her cheek. Blue eyes filled her vision. "You okay?"

She wiggled away from the door handle and nodded. "Come here," she urged, pulling him back down.

As they kissed, his arm snaked around her waist. In quick pecks he made his way across Zoe's cheek to her jaw. He moved down.

A gasp was stolen from her lips as he scraped his teeth across her neck. "Do that again," Zoe commanded. Her nails scratched his scalp.

He hummed and nipped at her neck in reply. His hand slid from her hair, over her shoulder to palm her breast. Emboldened by the way she squirmed against him he tugged at her neckline. The edge of her bra peeked out.

Twisting her head away, she gasped his name. She tried to inject some sternness in her tone, but when he kissed his way to the top of her breast it turned into a moan.

"Let's go back to my place," he whispered against her collarbone.

She shivered at the rough edge his voice had taken. The jangle of metal drew her attention away. She blinked stupidly at her keys on the pavement. She'd dropped those keys. She had completely forgotten about her desire to go home. Those wicked, wicked teeth were to blame.

His hands slid down. They rested on her hips, spread wide. His right thumb stroked idle circles on her lower stomach. Hot breath hit her ear. It sent shudders of pleasure through her. The memory of his teeth on her breast stung deliciously.

"I have to ask – ahhh, oh! Are – are you drunk?" She asked.

He shrugged, more focused on edging his fingers beneath the hem of her top. Absently he replied, "You can drive if you want."

Inhaling deeply, she moved her hands to his chest and pushed hard. He stumbled back a step as he struggled to catch his breath. His blue eyes were so befuddled. The ghost of her red lipstick stained to his mouth.

Her nose stung with oncoming tears as she shook her head and said, "We need to stop."

Suddenly his befuddlement morphed into fear. "Shit. Shit, I'm sorry. Fuck!" He scrubbed his hands over his face. Dropping them, he sighed. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"You don't scare me, Johnny Lawrence," she declared, lifting her chin.

The confusion returned. "Then why did -?"

"I won't sleep with you when you're drunk," she said grimly. If he wouldn't have her while he was sober, then she wouldn't have him at all. Swallowing hard, she readjusted her purse strap. "I need to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

He gaped as she spun on her heel and walked away. Once it caught up to his brain what was happening, he called out, "No, Zoe, wait!"

She kept her shoulders up so he wouldn't see her wet cheeks. "Johnny, please go home," she called back tremulously. "If you want to tell me the rest after you dry up, I'll be willing to listen."

Her disappointment warred with her shame at running away like a coward. Both urged her faster to the parking lot.


	9. Chapter 9

Lunch period had changed for Tallulah. Monday after the tournament, she hadn't so much as looked at her usual table. She made a beeline for where Aisha was. She set her paper bag lunch right next to Aisha's tray and perched on the edge of her chair. Blithely, she ignored the gaping coming at her from all angles.

Miguel swallowed his food and glanced at his friends. "You're Virgin's – I mean, Willard's sister, right?"

"Actually," she said primly, pulling her lunch out, "I'm Aisha's girlfriend."

The boy she had met at the tournament, Demetri, slowly nodded. "That's an interesting development," he remarked.

"Is it?" She asked icily.

He dropped his attention to his tray, took a swig of milk, and cleared his throat. "Uh, no. Nope. Uh-uh. Not at all. I'm not interested. Are you interested, Eli?"

"Dude, it's Hawk," Moon's Mohawked lover snapped. His scowl lessened as he looked between Tallulah and Aisha. Finally he nodded. "And, no. It's cool."

With small, precise motions, she unwrapped her tuna sandwich. "Good," she said lightly and took a bite.

The matter was settled. No longer did she have to endure Yasmine's snarky comments about her portion sizes. As an added bonus, conversations didn't revolve around tearing people down to boost Yasmine's ever-deflating self esteem. It was refreshing to say the least.

On the other hand, she now had to listen to a bunch of boys discuss video games. Listening in actually gave her more questions than it answered. Most of the time, she simply nodded along, a bored expression on her face. It wasn't so bad. Moon being there helped a lot. She knew less about video games than Tallulah did (one of the minor benefits having a little brother). And, of course, Aisha.

Demetri and Miguel were deep into a discussion about what sounded like one of the Call of Duty games. Tallulah didn't bother learning all the names. Between them, Moon and Hawk were exploring how long a person could survive without air. The sight was not for the weak of stomach.

Seeing that everyone was distracted, Tallulah turned her attention to the girl sitting beside her. Aisha seemed to be able to follow the boys' discussion to some degree. She would interject every now and then, usually causing one of the boys to go onto a tangent. The pleasure Aisha got out of derailing them was adorable.

Tallulah stroked her pendant as she considered her words. "We should go out this weekend, you and me," she declared.

Aisha paused, straw halfway to her mouth, eyes cutting over to her. She took a long, loud slurp. "To do what?"

"I'm not sure yet," Tallulah admitted. "I was thinking that we could go classic: dinner and movie."

Her brow furrowed. She fiddled with the straw as she said, "That sounds an awful lot like a date. Are you asking me out, Werner?" The tone was off. Not a lot, but enough that Tallulah noticed.

Letting it go, she bumped her shoulder into Aisha's. "Quit that. My name is Lulu or Baby. None of this given name nonsense."

"What happened to Queen?" She asked with a teasing grin.

"That is acceptable," Tallulah agreed. "Now, onto the matter of the date."

There was a wet smack as Moon separated from Hawk. "A date?" She echoed. "Ooh, I want to come. We could totally go together! It would be, like, a double date."

"That would be, like, so much fun," Tallulah replied, mimicking her friend's Valley accent. There was zero evidence of irony on her face.

"Oh my god! We could invite King, too. He always has somebody," Moon suggested. She was so enthused about the idea that she missed the way that Hawk's expression soured.

"Who's King?" He demanded.

Tallulah flipped her golden hair over her shoulder as she rolled her eyes. "Cool the testosterone. Kingston has been my best friend since middle school. Demetri met him. Isn't that right, Demetri?"

Unwilling to fully tear himself away from his conversation, the boy glanced at her distractedly. "Hmm? Oh, yeah. Great. Anyways, as I was saying…"

"See? But that doesn't matter. King doesn't really do dates. He's allergic to anything romantic," Tallulah explained.

He didn't look convinced. With a distinct lack of subtlety, he draped his arm across his girlfriend's shoulders, his mouth twisted in a scowl.

"That's fine," Moon said, waving that detail off. "It can just be us four."

"Honey, I was hoping that it would be just Aisha and me. You know, since it's our first date and all," she explained patiently.

That didn't bother Moon any. Her squeal was one of utter delight. "That's sooooo cute! You have to tell me everything after."

"I will," Tallulah promised.

Beside her, Aisha grimaced.

Tallulah caught this and frowned. Sterner than she meant to, she asked, "You do want to go out with me, don't you?"

"Yeah, of course," was Aisha's immediate reply.

It was fast. Too fast. Suspicion wiggled in Tallulah's gut.

Gathering her trash, she shoved it into her paper sack with a little more force than needed, she said, "Fantastic. Moon, I'll see you later."

"Okay," Moon mumbled into Hawk's mouth.

Aisha sent her an injured look. "Where are you going?"

Coldly, she replied, "Cheer practice."

"Lulu…" Aisha said, voice soft.

Before she could finish the token argument, Tallulah silenced her with a chaste kiss. When she pulled she took Aisha's chin between her thumb and forefinger and made a show of checking for a lipstick stain. Her thumb brushed over Aisha's bottom lip. It was incredibly soft.

"We'll talk later," she whispered.

Aisha gave a nod. Her mouth was set, determined and grim, as if coming to terms with an impending battle.

That finally got a smile out of Tallulah. She bid everyone goodbye and headed for the gymnasium.

* * *

Johnny wasn't sitting in his usual spot. He had tucked himself at a table in the back, not too far from the pool tables. That was Lakeisha's jurisdiction.

Zoe kept glancing in his direction. Each time she caught herself a curse would pass her lips.

She didn't know how she felt about him avoiding her. On one hand, it was a humungous relief not to have to look him in the eye after what happened a few days prior. Part of her felt like he would find evidence of the way she bawled once she had gotten home that night. On the other hand, being ignored hurt more than she liked to admit.

Zoe looked over. "Dammit," she muttered.

"What's that, hon?"

She flashed a polite smile. "Nothing, Howard. Here you go."

Maybe he didn't remember it happening. That would be worse.

As quickly as the idea had come, she dismissed it. He hadn't been very far gone. His words hadn't been slurred or over enunciated in that careful way drunks had mastered. No, it had been just enough to make her uncomfortable.

Zoe looked. This time, Johnny was looking back.

"Fuck," she hissed under her breath as she tore her gaze away.

A moment later Lakeisha approached the bar. "Miss Werner?"

"You don't have to call me that," she said, reciting the words from rote, "Zoe is just fine."

"We both know I'm not calling you that," Lakeisha replied.

It was true. Lakeisha had been among the first hires in Sweetwater's history. When ownership had passed to her, Lakeisha had been Zoe's strongest ally. She clung staunchly to protocol. Zoe's dad had always been Mr. Werner. Calling Zoe anything less than her title was disrespectful.

Zoe waved her hand tiredly. "Proceed."

"Johnny says that his drink is wrong," she explained.

"It's a Coors Banquet," she said incredulously. It was nearly impossible to mess up. The only thing they did was open it.

Lakeisha scoffed. "Been there, said that."

She squinted. "And he's still giving you a hard time?"

"Not any harder than usual," she said with a shrug. "I can tell him to go choke on it if you like. He's a regular. We don't have to be as nice to those bums."

Sighing, Zoe shook her head. "No, give it here. I'll handle it."

Her exasperation grew when she felt how light the bottle was. If there was something actually wrong with his drink, then why had he waited so long to say something?

Lips pursed and steps loud, she marched over to the table. He watched her advance with an unreadable expression. When she was standing right next to him, however, he suddenly couldn't meet her eyes.

"Harassing my staff, Mr. Lawrence?" She asked archly. She set the bottle on the table and crossed her arms.

Wordlessly, he accepted it. "If that's what she said, then she's lying," he grumbled.

"Mind what you say about Lakeisha," she warned, leaning her weight onto one leg. "That woman is damn good at her job."

"Yeah, right," he scoffed.

"Better than you, I bet," she challenged, cocking her head.

One side of his mouth lifted as he scoffed again. "You really want to fight right now?"

"What's so special about now?" She demanded.

"Well, I mean… the other night. Outside… we…" He made a vague gesture.

She blinked and softened a little. "Oh," she murmured, "so you do remember that."

He gaze sharpened into a glare. "I wasn't that drunk."

"Drunk enough."

They stared at each other. The awkwardness stretched. Johnny was the first to break.

Secretly, Zoe was happy that it had been him. It was easier to maintain a bit of distance when he wasn't looking at her like that. Or looking at her at all, to be honest. Those blue eyes drove her to distraction.

"Either way," she said, clearing her throat. "That's no excuse to be rude to Lakeisha."

"Are you fucking serious? What did I do?" He demanded, tapping his chest, blue eyes sharp on her again.

She tilted her head and raised one brow. "Your drink is messed up? Really?"

He scratched his chin and rolled his eyes as he mumbled a feeble, "It was."

"Bullshit, Johnny," she said, painstakingly calm, as she shook her head. For a man his age, he sure could act like a child. "If there's something you want to say to me, I wish you'd say it. Spit it out."

The implied "or leave" hung between them.

Johnny shifted in his seat. "This is my second beer today," he informed her.

The random statement threw her. Eventually, she had to ask, "Is that good or bad?"

"Dunno. If it's my last, can I tell you the rest later?"

"The rest of what?" She felt like she was losing the threads of this conversation and fast.

He coughed. "About the other night."

Oh, she thought. Her stomach flipped. That.

She chewed on her lip and shifted her weight to the other leg. "I'm closing again tonight. Can you wait until then?"

He nodded. "I can do that."

"Okay then. Do me a favor, Johnny? Do you mind staying out of trouble until then?"

"I'll be here," he said, sidestepping a yes or no answer altogether.

She rolled her eyes as she walked away. To say that Johnny Lawrence was a handful would be an understatement.

Zoe waved off Lakeisha's questions. "You can leave him be. He's going to stick with the Coors."

"But what was his problem?" She pressed.

"It didn't have anything to do with you," she assured her. "Johnny is… Well, let's just say that the problem is being handled."

Lakeisha crossed her arms over her stomach. "Huh. That's it?" The older woman asked leadingly.

"Yep! Let me know if any of the other customers give you trouble," she said too brightly.

Recognizing the dismissal, Lakeisha hummed in that knowing way of hers. She walked off with a loaded tray and not another word on the matter.

The rest of the night crawled. Zoe's patience was a delicate thing. It took more concentration than usual to engage with the patrons. She caught herself looking over by the pool tables too many times.

"Goodnight, Miss Werner."

She leaned the broom against a nearby table and wiped her hands on the rag hanging from her pocket. "Goodnight, Lakeisha. Drive safe."

Lakeisha looked pointedly over Zoe's shoulder. Her lips flattened in disapproval. "Mhmmm. Make good choices, baby." She patted her arm and walked out the door.

Zoe stared after the woman, mouth ajar. Slowly she shook her head and whispered, "What the fuck, Lakeisha?"

Taking a deep breath, Zoe pushed Lakeisha's words and their implications away. This was a long over-due conversation between friends. Maybe friends? Friends felt safe. She settled for that term. She was going to listen to what Johnny had to say, she would say her piece, and they would go from there. Nothing inappropriate was going to happen. Besides, they were in the middle of her place of business. It wasn't like he was going to bend her over the pool table or anything.

Heat flooded her cheeks. She pressed the cool backside of her hands against them and took a deep, steadying breath.

Make good choices, Miss Werner, she chastised herself.

The flush had passed by the time she made it over to where Johnny was sitting. She smiled but it felt wrong. It felt like the smile she had been wearing all night. She settled for a nod.

The front legs of his chair hit the floor as he straightened up. "Hey, Zo."

"You wanted to talk?" She reminded him.

He nodded and then gestured to the nearest pool table. "Do you want to play?"

"No!"

Bewildered, he said, "Jesus, what? Fine, we don't have to."

Pool was a frequent activity for them. It started years ago. Zoe liked to rouse patrons into a game whenever business was too slow. Her less than enthusiastic response was off for her.

She huffed under her breath and she shook her head. "I mean, I'd prefer to sit, if you don't mind. I've been on my feet all day and I'm tired."

He continued to look at her strangely but invited her to sit.

She tucked her hair behind her ear. "So. The other night," she prompted.

Johnny blew out a long breath and rubbed the back of his neck. "I feel like I should start by saying sorry?"

Her brows lifted. "For what?"

"I don't know," he admitted, "but this is how it usually goes, right?"

"Not with us," she remarked idly.

He shrugged and twisted the Coors bottle back and forth by the neck. "This is different."

"Does it have to be?" She asked, spreading her hands over the table. "I feel like we've got the talking thing down. That doesn't need to change."

"I guess not," he said slowly. He considered this and then, coming to a decision, bluntly asked, "You want to go to dinner with me next week?"

She rested her elbow on the table and set her chin in her hand. "This seems sudden."

He shook his head. "Not as much as you think. You're hard to get rid of."

"So what's kept you?"

"You're fucking hot. And, yeah, so am I, but I'm also twenty years older than you," he pointed out.

"You're so humble," she sighed, faux-dreamily, "it's one of your more endearing qualities, you know."

"Shut up. I'm being… sensitive and shit," he objected.

Fondly, Zoe rolled her eyes and leaned forward, folding her arms. "So how does this equal dinner?"

"Simple. I like you. I want to take you out to dinner."

She made a thoughtful noise. "I like you, too, by the way – just in case you were wondering."

"If you kiss guys you don't like the way you kissed me, I'd be worried," he told her.

She snorted, half in disbelief, and couldn't resist the smile that spread across her face. "I would like to go out with you, yes. But I have a few conditions."

"Let's hear it."

She inhaled deeply and on the exhale said, "I'm not going to sleep with you if you've been drinking."

He pulled a face. "That's kind of screwed, seeing as how I met you at the bar that you own."

"I know better than most how people are when alcohol gets involved. People don't make good choices. I'm not going to be somebody's drunken mistake," she said firmly.

"Does that go for the other stuff, too?" He asked.

She raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "Are you going to leave the room if I down a six pack?"

"Does that happen a lot?"

Again he shrugged.

She fiddled with one of the bobby pins in her hair. "I don't like how much you drink, but I'm not going to tell you what to do. It's your liver that you're pissing away."

"See? Like that. Are you gonna nag me all the time?" He half whined.

"Only if you ask me to," she admitted.

"Yeah, well don't worry," he sighed. "I've been trying to cut back. For work, you know. I have too many spazzoids and space cases to keep track of at the dojo."

An amused little smirk curved her mouth. She denied anything the first time he asked, but the second time she chuckled and said, "It's nothing. I just think it's cute how much you care about those kids."

He scoffed and leaned back in his chair. "That bunch of losers? Please."

"They look up to you, you know. Willard talks about you all the time. I've seen the way your other students look at you. They trust you," she told him.

A distant half smile crept to life even as he shook his head. "They just need someone to whip them into shape," he reasoned.

Her amusement doubled. "Sure, Johnny." Deciding to take mercy on him, she asked, "Speaking of Willard – you're not going to treat him any differently, will you?"

He frowned. "What? No. That would be dumb."

She nodded. "I agree. I have to ask though. He loves karate. He loves Cobra Kai. I don't want to make that awkward for him if his Sensei and I have a messy break up."

"You don't have to worry about that," he assured her. "Virgin knows exactly how I feel about him."

She snorted. "So where are you taking me out next week?"

"Uhhh… I don't know yet," he admitted, "but I'll let you know."

They hammered out a few of the details. Johnny hadn't planned anything after the initial question and was open to suggestions. They were discussing foods they hated as they gathered their belongings and headed for the backdoor. Zoe turned the lock. Simultaneously they recalled what happened the last time they had been out there together.

Zoe smiled up at him. "If I kiss you, are you going to pull my tits out again?"

His face broke out into a grin and took a step into her personal space. "Only if you ask me to," he said, copying her words from earlier.

She rose up onto the balls of her feet and looped her arms around his neck. His hands settled onto either side of her waist. They met in a lingering peck. Zoe felt the chaste touch all the way down to her toes.

Reluctantly, she lowered back down, biting her lip. Her cheeks were flush. "I'll talk to you tomorrow," she whispered.

"Tomorrow," he promised, stealing another kiss.

She chuckled and stepped out of his arms. "I have to go. Goodnight, Johnny."

"Goodnight, Zo."


	10. Chapter 10

Zoe hummed happily as she brushed out Tallulah's hair. It was an activity she had loved since Tallulah was a small child. It was soft as silk and shone like gold in the light.

Zoe's hair was a barely contained disaster piled on top of her head. Once she was done with her sister, she would do her own hair and then they would both sit down to do their makeup together. Soon delicious smells would drift in from the kitchen where Willard was whipping up breakfast. It was another day in the Werner household.

"You're in a chipper mood," Tallulah grumbled, arms crossed as she slouched in her chair.

Carefully she stroked the golden hair off of Tallulah's neck, gathering all the fine baby hairs. "I am," she agreed neutrally.

Her pout deepened. "Well, cut it out. It's bugging me."

"Sit up," Zoe commanded, gently prodding Tallulah in the back with the hairbrush.

Huffing and making a general fuss over nothing, she straightened up. In the mirror, her hazel eyes were hard. They were also puffy and a little red, as if she had been up all night crying.

The gathered hair was pulled over Tallulah's left shoulder as Zoe leaned around to set her chin on the opposite shoulder. She brushed her knuckles against her sister's sharp jaw line. Gently she urged Tallulah's chin higher.

Admiring what a pretty profile her sister had, Zoe cooed, "There's my girl. So regal; a diamond, through and through."

A tiny grin broke out against her wishes. "You're not funny," Tallulah mock scolded.

"So you've told me," she informed her as she stood up straight. With practiced ease she began sectioning Tallulah's hair. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's about Aisha," she said with a drawn out sigh.

That didn't surprise her much. In fact, it didn't surprise her in the slightest. Her sister hadn't shut up about her new girlfriend in over a week. Then, last night, there was nothing.

Zoe grabbed a clip from the vanity top. "What's wrong, Lulu?"

An explosive sigh escaped her. "She's avoiding me," Tallulah complained. "We were supposed to talk after school. And then she makes this lame ass excuse about helping her dad, even though I know that she's going straight to karate class. Can you believe that? I called her out and she said sorry and that was it. That's how all of her texts were. One or two words replies. I don't know what to do!" Her voice rose to a wail and then she buried her face in her hands. She was mindful not to move her head too much during this, not wanting to ruin Zoe's progress.

Zoe made a sympathetic noise. Teenage romance was a perilous thing.

Tallulah peeked through her fingers and looked at her sister through the mirror. "Aren't you going to tell me what to do?"

Zoe's dark brows shot up. "When has telling you what to do ever worked in my favor?" She asked her seriously, continuing the plait she was working on.

"You know what I mean. Don't you have some old people, Yoda-level advice or something?" She demanded irritably.

Zoe nodded sagely and said, "Simple, young padawan, the solution is. Open your mind. Mmmmmm."

A well aimed elbow connected with Zoe's thigh, making her squawk. "Now you're being mean," she scolded.

"Says the girl who likes to leave bruises," Zoe objected, tone light and conversational. She dug the heel of her palm against the spot, trying to soothe throb, and rolled her eyes at her sister's violent antics. "Is this how you treat your girlfriend? I know she's a martial arts badass and all that, but she probably doesn't like getting hit by the same person who kisses her."

"Of course not! I would never hit her," she retorted hotly.

Zoe shrugged in surrender. Both hands were knotted in Tallulah's hair. "Okay. So that's not the problem then. What do you think it is?"

"Rude," Tallulah accused pouting again.

"Yes, you are. Now, back to the Aisha issue."

Tallulah rolled her eyes and answered, "I don't know. I said that I wanted to go on a date and she got all weird."

"Weird how?"

"She got quiet, and she wouldn't answer my questions," she explained. "But she kissed me in front of our friends before I left."

"What does that tell you?"

"That I'm doomed to fail at love?"

Zoe snorted and shook her head. "No, you goof. She avoiding the topic for a reason, right? Maybe it's something she doesn't want to talk about in front of her friends," she suggested.

"So then why won't she talk to me now?" Tallulah demanded.

"Honey, I say this with so much love, but you can be kind of intimidating. And intense. And stubborn."

"Okay!" Tallulah raised both hands to silence her sister. "Thank you. That's enough."

Smirking, Zoe continued, "What I'm trying to say is: consider the fact that the reason Aisha got into karate was because she was being bullied."

Tallulah rubbed the pendant on her necklace. Quietly, she admitted, "Yeah, I knew about that."

"Just something to think about," Zoe said with a shrug.

Once their faces were painted and they were dressed for the day, they joined Willard at the table. The table was already set with waffles and syrup and sausage links. He preened at the delighted noises Zoe made at the sight of it. Tallulah drowned her half waffle and half dozen sausages in syrup.

"What?" She demanded when she caught her brother staring.

He raised his fork and knife in surrender. "I didn't say anything."

The doorbell rang. The three siblings paused and exchanged glances. It was a silent game of "Is it you?" Nobody moved.

Finally, Zoe stood up. She smoothed down the front of her yellow dress. "I'll go see who it is," she volunteered.

Zoe's happy expression froze on her face. "Kip," she said through clenched teeth. "What the hell are you doing here?"

His brows rose in that careless way he had perfected as a teenager. Pointedly he looked around at the empty yard. The only car in the driveway belonged to her.

"Is now a bad time?" He drawled.

"Any time is a bad time," she said sweetly.

He grinned roguishly and leaned his forearm against the door frame. "You can't keep me away forever, Zoe-girl. You never could."

"This isn't a chess game. And I'm a lot older now, big brother," she growled at him. She caught herself, closed her eyes, and sighed. "No. We're not doing this. You ruined my last good day. You're not getting this one, too."

"I didn't realize I had so much influence," he said in the same sweet tone she had used a moment before.

It was like she was thirteen again. She and Kip got into some epic fights as kids. Nothing changed when they became teenagers. So far, in adulthood, it was the same. She didn't know whether she wanted to punch him in his smug, stupid face or cry. Then again, that's how she always felt around him. Nothing new there either.

Zoe opened her mouth to retort. A voice behind her had her biting back a cutting remark.

"Zo, who is it? You're waffles are getting cold."

She made to close the door. "Oh, no one, hon-"

The door wouldn't shut all the way. Kip forced himself through the crack. He spread his arms wide as if accepting a grand welcome. "Hey, there he is! How's my favorite baby brother?"

Willard's whole face lit up. "Kip!" He threw himself at the man, wrapping his arms around his waist. "It's really you! Where have you been?"

"That's a good question," an icy voice hissed. Tallulah stood back from the happy reunion, arms crossed over her stomach.

This was not going to end well.

In very deliberate movements, Zoe closed the door. The speed of which she was losing control of the situation was dizzying. She cleared her throat and turned around, all bright smiles. "We should probably finish breakfast. You need to leave for school soon," she reminded them.

"I don't want to go today!" Willard cried. "Zoe, can I stay? Please?"

She hesitated. Her hazel eyes flicked between the three faces of her siblings. Hopeful, forbidding, and triumphant; there was no way she was going to win this. She forced her smile wider. "Sure, honey. I'll take care of everything."

"Did you hear that, bud? We can spend the whole day together," Kip exclaimed, jostling the teenager's shoulders.

The adoring grin on his face pained Zoe.

"So," she began, voice too loud, "breakfast?"

"I'm not hungry," Tallulah declared. Pivoting on her bare heel, she swept out of the room. A few seconds later the echo of the door slamming reached them.

Zoe flinched. That did not bode well. She bit her lip as her mind scrambled to figure out how to fix this. There had to be a way.

When she noticed Kip looking at her, she pursed her lips. He had the audacity to wink. Her fist would look so very pretty colliding with that eye.

"Lulu honey," she called, pitching her voice to be heard across the house, "If you're ready, I'll go ahead and start the car."

Willard flashed a smile as he passed her to the living room. "Come on, Kip! I want to show you my Xbox."

A moment later Tallulah came barreling through. Sunglasses donned, she stalked out the door without a backwards glance. Neither Willard nor Kip noticed the production put on just for their benefit.

Zoe sighed. This was going to be fun.

As soon as they cleared the stop sign, it began. Tallulah twisted in her seat to glare at Zoe. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was hoping he would give up," Zoe admitted, drumming her red nails on the steering wheel. Playing dumb would only insult them both. She knew very well what her sister was referring to. "There wouldn't be a reason to tell you if stayed away like he should – I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"No," she agreed grimly, "you shouldn't have."

Wrapping her hand around the top of the steering wheel tightly, she said, "Look, Lulu. Kip and I… we're not on good terms. Him showing up like this is really hard for me to accept."

She scoffed. "As much of an asshole as Kip is, he's still my brother, too, you know."

"I know, honey. I was trying – it doesn't matter."

"No, please, finish that sentence," she said, waving her hand for Zoe to go on. The head motion that went with the gesture made it clear that she was losing her patience.

Zoe groaned. "Lay off. I'm doing my best, okay?"

"You should have told me," Tallulah insisted.

"Yes! I know! Alright?! I'm fucking aware of this," she snapped.

Tallulah's lips pursed as she gave Zoe the nastiest look she could muster. It was worse than the time Zoe made her pay to replace Willard's Nintendo DS that she had broken. It was worse than the time she grounded for – oh, Zoe couldn't even remember, it had been so long. Tallulah hadn't looked at her like that since before their dad's funeral.

In a blink it was gone. A carefully constructed mask had taken its place. "You say it like it comes as a surprise," she noted idly.

Zoe shot her a sharp glance. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Pointedly she pulled out her phone. Her thumbs moved at lightning speed.

Through gritted teeth she asked, "Tallulah, honey, will you please put that away? We're not done talking about this."

"Yeah?" She replied, not looking up. "That sucks for you, because I am."

Pushing the issue was futile. Zoe didn't know what she would say even if Tallulah was willing to listen. She silently fumed and kept driving.

As soon as Tallulah slammed the car door behind her, Zoe pulled out her phone. She called the admin number for the school and explained that, since Willard Werner was sick, he would not be attending class. That done she hung up and called a different number.

He picked up on the third ring. "Yeah?"

"Hi, Johnny. Are you busy?"

"Nope. Want to swing by my place?"

She let out a sigh of relief as a grin spread across her face. "You have no idea."

Johnny was a gracious host. He kept her cup filled with the cheap booze and let her rant and ramble for nearly two hours.

"I shouldn't be here," she declared. "You probably have much better things to do than listen to me."

He shrugged. "Not really. None of the kids get out before three."

She nodded and took a deep draw from her glass. It was the same off-brand vodka from the night of the tournament. The resemblance to cleaning fluid was just as strong. "I don't know where you get this shit but it's awful," she told him emphatically.

He leaned his head on his fist as he leveled an amused look at her. "You like it," he accused fondly.

She rolled her eyes but took another sip.

The truth was that she did like it. Not for the taste – that was god awful. But she liked this; just them two and nothing to do but shoot the breeze. She loved talking to Johnny. She loved listening to him. He told the most outrageous jokes and the funniest stories. He could also let the moment bask in a bit of companionable silence.

"I can't believe he came back," she scoffed to the ceiling. Her bare feet hung over one of the arm rests of the chair. She kicked one idly. "I love him so much. I hate him. Is that possible? Can you love somebody so much and still want to chop their head off and dump their body in a river?"

"That's really specific, Zo. Should I be worried?" He said with a chuckle.

She blew a raspberry. "Nah. We can't do that."

It was his turn to scoff. "What's this 'we' shit? You got a turd in your pocket?"

"Oh my god," she moaned, stretching her arms overhead, her drink sloshing precariously. She collapsed back into the cushions with a content sigh. "You're such a poet. Marry me, Johnny."

"You're cute when you're tipsy," he said, grinning like fool, head balancing on his fist.

"You're cute…er," she shot back.

His grin widened.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Shut up."

A few drinks later, Zoe was laying on the floor spread eagle. Her body felt warm. Invisible blankets wrapped her up in the best hug. Her lips and finger and toes and the tip of her nose were all tingly. How thick and heavy her tongue had become in the last half hour was a concern. It made talking that much harder.

Her head lolled to the side. She squinted blearily at Johnny who was slumped against the wall. His legs were sprawled out in front of him. His chin kept dropping to his chest.

"What time is it?" She asked.

He blew out his lips. "I don't even know. Ten? I think?"

Groaning, she rolled over onto her stomach. "We need to sober up. We both have to work," she whined into the carpet.

"Lightweight," he said between a few poorly executed coughs.

She turned her head far enough to glare at him through a clump of hair. "Don't be an asshole right now. I cane – I came to you for comfort."

His leg jerked in her direction. The tip of his foot nudged her ribs. "Come over here."

She pouted. "You come over here," she retorted.

Another nudge. "No, you come here."

Grumbling, Zoe burrowed her face into the carpet. The smell wasn't exactly the best. It probably hadn't been cleaned since Johnny moved in. Who knew how long ago that was?

Clothes rustled and Johnny grunted and then he was next to her. She peeked at him. He was supine, hands on his chest, and his eyes were closed. The lines in his were still prominent, but they had softened. He looked peaceful.

"Johnny," she mumbled. She shifted until she was lying on her side and pillowed her arm under her head. "Johnny, what are you thinking about?"

He let his head fall to the side and opened his blue eyes. "Nothing."

"That sounds nice," she replied amicably. It was a rare day that she was able to think of nothing. No wonder he looked so peaceful.

He closed his eyes and hummed. "You should try it some time."

Her eyes fell shut, too. She had to admit that Johnny's plan was a good one. "I will,"' she mumbled.

Soon, her breathing evened out and her lips softened into a pout. Within minutes Johnny's snores joined hers.

What felt like minutes passed. Zoe woke with a start. She sat up halfway and squinted at her surroundings. Somewhere, her phone was screaming at her. Maybe if she ignored it long enough, it would go away. She looked to her right where Johnny was passed out a few feet away. His arms were thrown over his head in wild abandon. Light snores rolled with every inhale. The overall effect was rather cute.

The ringtone persisted. Swearing, she rolled onto all fours and struggled to her feet. It was a good thing she had ditched the heels already. She tugged the hem of her fitted skirt down and smoothed the front before she began the hunt for her phone.

From the floor, Johnny groaned. He tossed one arm over his eyes. "Somebody get that!"

She hushed him. "I've got it. Go back to sleep."

Once she was sure he'd stay quiet, she answered the call. It was the bar where she was supposed to have shown up half an hour ago. It was so unlike her that Marie sounded ready to file a missing person's report. Zoe claimed a family emergency since it wasn't too far from the truth. Marie understood. Zoe didn't have to beg too long before the other woman agreed to stay on an extra hour.

It took a few more calls and some bargaining and the rest of her shift was covered. That taken care of, she could focus on more important things. Namely: more comfortable clothes.

Zoe lightly kicked Johnny's leg. When he stirred, she asked, "Can I borrow some clothes?" She interpreted his grunt as acceptance and went to raid his closet.

The choices weren't overwhelming. There wasn't much in the way of freshly laundered. She found a relatively clean shirt and held it up for inspection. She smiled at the KISS logo and pulled it over her head. After some digging, she found a pair of sweats that she could cinch tight around her the smallest part of her waist. The legs dragged with every step but it would do. The yellow dress was hung up in the closet.

A knock at the door caught her attention. Bunching the excess material of the sweatpants in her fists, she sprinted across the apartment, dodging Johnny's slumbering form. She swung the door open. "Hi," she panted, "can I help you?"

The pretty woman in the nurse scrubs hesitated. "I was looking for Johnny. Is he here?"

Zoe snorted and angled her body so that it was harder to see into the apartment. "He's sleeping it off right now. I can pass along a message if you like," she offered.

She shook her head with a polite smile. "I'm on my way to work. I wanted to give this to Johnny before I left. He's my son's Sensei."

"He's my little brother's Sensei, too," she said, accepting the covered dish. "Willard just loves him."

The woman nodded and laughed, "Miggy, too. I wasn't too sure about the whole karate business, but I think it's done him good."

"I'm really glad to hear that. I know Johnny would, too," Zoe informed her. "Well, I don't want to hold you up."

"Thanks. I better get going," she said.

Softly, so not to disturb Johnny, she called after her, "Have a good day!" She closed the door behind her and brought the dish to the kitchen. Her stomach was protesting only holding liquor and a few bites of waffle.

With a mighty groan, Johnny got to his feet. "What's that smell?"

"Tamales. A woman brought them over not too long ago. I didn't catch her name but she said that her son was a student of yours," Zoe explained. "Hungry?"

He shrugged. "I could eat."

Humming under her breath, she served him a plate. They ate over the sink and tossed their dishes in when they were done. Belly full, Zoe collapsed onto the couch.

"You good, Zo?"

She threw him a lazy, content grin. "Yeah. Thanks for having me over. I really needed this."

He shrugged his broad shoulders. "Anytime."


	11. Chapter 11

Eventually Zoe had to leave the sanctuary of Johnny's apartment. He had class to prepare for and she had to pick up Tallulah. It was not a ride that she was looking forward to.

As soon as she got into the car, Tallulah's nose wrinkled. "Have you been drinking?"

Zoe eased the car out of the high school parking lot. She looked at her sister sideways as she admitted, "Earlier, yeah." She chose not to elaborate. She hadn't told them that she was seeing Johnny yet.

"Whatever," she scoffed and pulled out her phone. "I'm going to go hang out with King."

"Is he coming to pick you up?" She asked carefully.

"Nope."

Zoe's lips pursed. "Is this you asking to borrow the car?"

"I'm not asking," she declared.

She sighed. "Lulu honey, I understand that you're upset," she began.

"Oh, I didn't think you were aware of that," she replied icily.

"And I want to apologize for the way I spoke to you earlier," she continued tersely, "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I was… very overwhelmed, and upset, and it was wrong to take it out on you."

The phone lowered a few inches. "Yeah. It was a pretty shitty thing to do," she agreed, her tone much less hostile.

"You're right."

"You should have told me," she pressed.

Zoe nodded once. "Yes, I should have. I thought I was doing the right thing by protecting you both the truth. I didn't want you to get hurt."

"I'm almost an adult. I can make those decisions for myself," Tallulah said, laying her phone in her lap.

Sadly she nodded. "I know, Lulu. That's why I think we should go home, the both of us, and have a serious discussion with our brother."

"What about Willard?"

"Willard has karate," she reminded her. "But if he wants to stay to hear what Kip has to say, I think he should have that right, don't you?"

She bit her lip. "I don't know… He's such a kid."

With a sigh she said, "We can't baby him forever. He's growing up just like you. If you were in his shoes, would you want to be there?"

Tallulah's hand came up to the teardrop pendant. "I guess it depends on how it goes," she admitted.

Zoe glanced at her sister and gently asked, "Do you want to be there? When I talk to Kip?"

"No, but I think I should," she told her. "If I want to be part of the adult decisions, I have to be there for adult talks, right?"

She reached across the car and held her hand out palm up. She released a pent up breath when Tallulah grasped it. She smiled and squeezed her sister's hand. "We got this."

Tallulah nodded. "We do."

* * *

The talk hadn't gone well.

When Willard found out that Zoe not only knew that Kip was in town, but had actively tried to keep him away, he flipped out. Face red and spit flying from his mouth he screamed himself hoarse. Zoe stood there, stoic, and took it. Tallulah rushed to her defense of course. That hadn't gone well either.

Zoe was currently in the tub. If she made the water hot enough and added enough Epsom salts, maybe she wouldn't feel so awful. She tilted her head back and inhaled the citrus scented steam. Nope. She still felt like shit. She stayed anyways.

This was mostly due to the fact that she was fairly sure if she saw her older brother that she might throttle him. Willard would surely be upset with her about that. Since he had already vowed never to speak to her again and Kip was crashing on the couch, she didn't think it was a good idea to be wandering around the house; hence, the soak.

There was a knock at the door. Her head lifted in surprise. Since she was using the master bathroom, whoever was on the other side of the door would have to be actively seeking her out. It was probably Tallulah. Some of the things that had been said, both by and to Tallulah, had been pretty ugly.

Quickly Zoe checked the bubbles. They were dense enough that nothing was peeking out. Only her bent knees peeked out. To be on the safe side, Zoe wrapped an arm over her ample breasts before she called out for her to enter.

The head that popped through the crack was definitely not Tallulah's though. Sheepishly Willard ducked his head. "In now a bad time?" He asked softly.

Zoe rearranged her expression into something a little less shocked and shook her head. "Not at all, honey. Come in."

He sat on top of the closed toilet and leaned forwards to rest his elbows on his knees. He heaved a sigh. "I didn't mean what I said."

Her brows rose up. She didn't think he would be so direct. Then again, his new motto was 'Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy'. He'd certainly done that earlier. She hadn't thought that he could be so vicious. That had always been Tallulah's department.

"Which part?" She asked eventually.

He shrugged. "I don't remember everything I said," he confessed. "But the part where I said I hated you? Yeah, that. I didn't mean that."

"I didn't think you did," she said gently. "We all say things we don't mean when we're upset."

Vigorously he shook his head. "Not that. I shouldn't have – it was too far."

The words had felt like daggers to her heart. She'd been stunned. Tallulah had thrown a frying pan at his head as soon as they left his mouth. Luckily, he had been able to block it. After everything, Zoe had very stern words with Tallulah about hurting people during the heat of the moment and how she appreciated that Tallulah sticking up for her but that she didn't approve of her methods.

"Willard, I forgive you," she said firmly.

For the first time since he stepped into the bathroom, he raised his gaze to meet hers. "If you can forgive me for saying that, and all that other stuff I said, why can't you forgive Kip?"

She sank down in the tub. The water lapped at her collarbones. "That's different," she whispered.

"How?"

"Kip left us," she tried to explain.

"So? He comes back. That's what matters, right?" He asked, all hopeful and earnest.

Sadly she shook her head. "I can forgive him for dipping out. I have in the past – many times. That's not the problem."

He groaned. "Then what is?! Explain it to me, Zo."

"When Mom died," she started but had to swallow around the lump that formed. "Kip left then, too. It hurt. A lot. And then he came back, like he always does, but this time Dad didn't want to let him back. I fought him on it."

Growing up, Kip had always resented their mother remarrying. He had this idea that one day their biological father would show up and they would all be one big happy family. Zoe didn't have memories of their biological father like Kip did. To her, Ed Werner was Dad. He and Kip had fought all through Kip's teen years, with Zoe and their mother running interference between them.

She wiped away the tears that were leaking down her cheeks. "But then Dad died, too. And then Kip… He didn't just leave me. He left you guys, too. I couldn't let that happen. So, I tracked him down to some motel in Vegas."

"I didn't know that," Willard said with a frown.

She gave a watery laugh. "That's because I didn't tell you. You guys spent the weekend at Veronica's house. I begged him to come back. And he did… for a few days."

"I don't understand," he said, shaking his head slowly.

"We got into an argument at the funeral parlor," she said. Her voice was thick with the tears she was desperately trying to hold back. "He was mad that Dad left Sweetwater to me and not him."

His brow furrowed. He looked like he almost didn't believe her.

Swallowing against the emotion, she steeled herself for the rest of the story. In for a penny, in for a pound. "He said some really awful stuff about Dad. About me, too, but mostly Dad. I didn't want you guys to see it so I sent him home. That night he was gone."

What Zoe didn't say was that Kip had taken ten thousand dollars with him. It was what was left over from their mother's life insurance policy after the medical bills were paid. Kip had a gambling problem. It didn't take a genius to figure out what he'd done with all that money.

Honestly, she didn't care about the money. Back then, she had her own savings to fall back on. It had been a struggle for the first year but she'd made ends meet. Kip's absence had been a much harder blow to recover from.

"He didn't tell me any of this."

"I didn't either," she pointed out in a small voice. "I thought it would be better if you didn't know. As angry with him as I was – as angry as I _am_ – I didn't want you to think badly of him. He's family."

Part of her wondered what Kip had told their brother but she knew that it wasn't her place to ask. That was between him and Willard.

Willard stood up and ran his hands through his blond hair. "I – I need to think," he muttered.

As he went to walk out, Zoe caught his hand. Her eyes were red-rimmed and vulnerable as she looked up at him. "Willard?"

He looked down at their joined hands as he replied with a strangled, "Yeah?"

"You know I love you, right? Kip, too. We both do."

His Adam's apple bobbed. He opened his mouth but after aborted attempts he closed it again. Finally, he managed a curt nod.

She squeezed his hand. "Good. Goodnight, honey."

As soon as she released him he was gone. The door shut quietly behind him.

Zoe stared at the spot he'd been standing for a long time. The weight of her confession pushed down on her as she tried to determine if she'd don't the right thing in telling him. Had she? She honestly didn't know.

Shakily she inhaled. She let it out and took another, deeper breath. That one she held and plunged beneath the water's surface.

* * *

Zoe gasped.

Veronica lifted the tattoo gun. "Sensitive spot?"

Twisting her neck to look down her torso, Zoe offered a sheepish smile. "A little," she admitted.

She chuckled. "Ready?" She asked. The needle twitched as she pedaled the gun back to life.

"Ready," she confirmed, pillowing her cheek in her arms.

Being in the chair was a cathartic experience. With everything that was going on in her left, she needed it. Zoe was lucky that her best friend was a tattoo artist who was willing to trade her skills for a bottomless bar tab. She honestly didn't know who was getting the better end of the deal.

Once Veronica declared her done, Zoe sat up gingerly. The left side of her ribcage protested. She ignored it and the way the protests became louder as she lifted her arm. With great efficiency, Veronica taped the plastic wrap down and helped Zoe put her shirt back on.

"Thanks," she sighed, pulling her hair out of the collar.

"Mention it – a lot," Veronica commanded with a smirk. "I'm proud of that piece."

That got a laugh out of Zoe. "I'll make sure to walk the beach topless. That should get people talking."

She nodded, a look of fierce approval on her face. "Get it, girl."

"I'll see you for lunch tomorrow?" Zoe checked as she grabbed her purse. The plastic wrap crinkled with every movement.

She glanced over her shoulder and then went back to tidying up her workspace. "Is your piece of shit brother going to be there?"

Zoe pulled a face. "Yes. Please don't refer to him that in front of my siblings. Especially Willard. Things are just now settling at the house. I don't want to start another fight."

Veronica shrugged. "I make no promises," she warned.

She couldn't really ask for more than that. Bidding her best friend goodbye, Zoe left. It was nearly five – time to pick Willard up from karate class.

The kids were pouring out of the dojo as Zoe pulled up. She waved to a few that she had spoken to before. Aisha came up for a hug and promptly apologized when Zoe flinched. All the kids 'ooh'-ed and 'ahh'-ed over the bloody mess of her tattoo. One of them even took off his shirt to show her the huge bird between his shoulder blades. She kept her comment about tattooing a minor to herself and simply nodded.

"What's going on out here?" Johnny demanded. His voice was gruffer than usual and Zoe wanted to laugh when she realized that he was using his teacher voice.

"Just sharing our body mods, Sensei," the boy, Hawk, replied.

Zoe beamed up at Johnny. "Yeah, Sensei. Anything you want share?"

He narrowed his blue eyes at her. "You know I don't have any tattoos," he reminded her.

Coyly she shrugged. "Above the waist, sure. What about below?"

"No."

"Aw, what a shame," she said lightly. She shot a smirk at the Cobras, sending them into a paroxysm of giggles.

"Clear out," Johnny barked at them.

A chorus of "Yes, Sensei" and "See you tomorrow, Sensei" was thrown around as the Cobras scattered.

Zoe turned this way and that. The familiar blond head was not among them. She frowned at Johnny. "Is Virgin still getting changed?"

His frown mirrored hers as his hands found his hips. "Virgin left an hour ago. Some guy picked him up."

Her fingers tightened around her purse strap. "A guy?" She echoed. "Tall, shaggy brown hair?"

"Grins like a fucking skeleton, yeah," Johnny confirmed.

"Fucking Kip," she said through gritted teeth.

Rage welled up inside of her. He'd only been at the house for a week and already he'd taken more liberties than she was comfortable with. First it was all of the food delivered to the house that he didn't pay for. Then it was taking the car without asking. Now this?

If he'd run it by her, she wouldn't have had a problem with Kip picking Willard up. She wouldn't have even minded that he was skipping half of his lesson. But that was the problem with Kip. He didn't think he had to ask for a damn thing.

Johnny shifted to look at her sideways. Deceptively cool, he asked, "Your ex?"

"Worse," she said grimly. "My brother."

His brows shot up. "I didn't know you had a brother. Other than Virgin, I mean."

Her lips pursed as she tried to find the most neutral way to phrase their relationship. "We were estranged. He's back now."

"You're not happy about that." It wasn't a question. After all the years they'd known each other, it wasn't difficult for him to figure out her mood. It helped that she usually wore her emotions on her sleeve.

"No," she agreed, "I'm not. But he's family. And it makes Willard happy to have him around so…" She trailed off with a shrug.

He stared at her for a long time, the expression on his face undecipherable. Finally he said, "Want to come inside?"

Regretfully she shook her head. "I should go track them down."

His gaze dropped to hide as he nodded. Zoe's heart swelled at his visible disappointment.

Taking a step closer, she placed her hand on his chest. "Rain check?" She asked.

One corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile. His arm slipped around her waist to pull her body flush with his. "Say the word."

"Okay," she said, smiling like an idiot. She tilted her head up and kissed him. The taste of him made her dizzy. "I'll see you tomorrow night? For our date?"

"You bet your sweet ass you will," he said, hands sliding down to cup her bottom. They squeezed her roughly.

Laughing, she pulled out of his embrace. "Bye, Johnny."

He grinned right back. "Night, Zo."


	12. Chapter 12

The doorbell rang. Tallulah skipped to answer it. Hers and Aisha's chatter grew louder until at last they appeared.

"Oh, King! Come here," Tallulah beckoned. She latched onto his elbow as soon he was within reach. "I'd like you to meet my girlfriend. Aisha, this is Kingston Ng, my best friend." She looked earnestly between them.

Luckily for Kingston, his free hand was the right one. With a charming smile he held it out to Aisha. "I can't believe I'm finally meeting you. Lulu hasn't shut up about you in forever. I'm being neglected."

With a pointed look, Tallulah let go of him to smack his chest.

Aisha couldn't help but laugh. "It's nice to meet you, too," she told him as she shook his hand.

"You must be Aisha." A long haired man with a roguish grinned walked up with his hand held out. His grin widened when Aisha accepted the gesture. "I'm Kip. We've heard a lot about you. And I do mean a lot."

Tallulah's previous warmth was long gone. Her cool gaze roved over Kip as a scowl tugged her painted lips down. She looped her arm through Aisha and lifted her chin defensively. "Come on, babe. I want you to meet King's parents. They're the best." With that, she swept away, taking her girlfriend with her.

Brows shooting up, Kingston whistled a low note. "Damn, man. I thought you said you knew Lu."

"Who are you again?" Kip demanded sharply.

"The guy who knows to wait my turn to be introduced," he said with an eye roll.

He frowned at the teenager. "Wait my turn?" He echoed incredulously.

Nodding sagely, he shoved his hands into his pockets. A half smile appeared as he watched his mother tackle his best friend's girlfriend in a bear hug. Veronica Ng never did anything by halves. "She needs the control," he explained to the older man. "She's totally freaking out over this. She wants everything to be perfect. Improv is stupid as hell move."

Kingston loved Tallulah dearly – the only woman who could claim the same loyalty was his mother – but he was of the opinion that she toed the line when it came to being a straight up crazy bitch. He was smart enough to learn her idiosyncrasies. Through years of hard work, he knew how to work around them, too.

Clapping Kip on the shoulder, purposefully using more of his strength than was strictly necessary, he grinned. He waited until Kip had regained his footing before he said, "Let's go eat, man."

Lunch was a casual affair. Kingston and Veronica peppered Aisha with question but nothing that Tallulah hadn't pre-approved. Zoe was just grateful that Veronica wasn't mean-mugging Kip. If there were two people in her life that she didn't need fighting, it was definitely those two.

"Oh, I meant to ask you," Zoe piped up, turning to Willard. "I was doing the laundry and I found something weird. What was that stuff on your clothes? Did you get into some clay or something?"

Willard's head shot up. His mouth opened. The only sounds that came out were gibberish as he gestured jerkily.

"I think I know what you're talking about," Aisha interjected.

Zoe's attention slid over to her. Out of his sister's line of sight, Willard shot Aisha a grateful look.

The picture of trustworthiness, Aisha smiled. "I got it on me, too. We were messing around a patch of wet cement and this doofus," here she nodded to Willard "fell in. I don't even remember who kicked you."

"Greg," Willard supplied. "He's got a wicked crescent kick; gets me every time."

"Right, that's it," Aisha agreed.

Conversation flowed naturally. The topic was forgotten.

* * *

Willard was a vibrating mass of excitement on the way to Valley Fest. Zoe was glad that Aisha and Tallulah had decided to ride over with Kingston and his family instead. She knew that Tallulah in particular wouldn't be tolerating how animated Willard had become.

It made Zoe happy to see how passionate her little brother became when it came to karate. He was babbling away with two of his friends, Ben and Bert, in the backseat. Most of it she couldn't understand but it didn't matter. If he was happy, then so was she.

Willard, Ben, and Bert left right away to join the other Cobras. Their Sensei had emphasized being on time. Willard suffered a kiss on the cheek from his sister and then he was gone.

Kip and Zoe found where Mike had parked. He and Veronica was making out against the trunk of the car like a pair of teenagers. Zoe rolled her eyes at the familiar sight.

Aisha had already left so Tallulah was taking selfies with Kingston. She tugged Zoe into the frame with them and they all stuck out their tongues.

Seeing Kip standing aside, Zoe murmured to her sister, "Let's take one, you, me, and Kip."

Tallulah pulled a face. "No."

"Come on. I would really like the picture," she lied. "For me? Please?"

The face Tallulah was making got worse. "That's emotional blackmail."

"Can it work just this once?" She asked in her best wheedling tone.

Tallulah made a production of rolling her eyes and sighing but finally relented. The hopeful surprise on Kip's face with she asked him to join them reassured Zoe that, even though a small petty part of her didn't like it, she had made the right choice.

Together they wandered the festival, stopping at booths every once in a while. The announcement of a demonstration by Miyagi-Do Karate drew them to the stages.

"Wow," Kingston said appreciatively, leaning back on his hips. "That's pretty good."

Tallulah rolled her eyes and sneered. "They're alright."

Smirking, he jostled her with his elbow. "Biased much?"

To that she scoffed. "Watch your dainty dancers. We both know who the better dojo is," she declared.

He snickered. "You guys take this rivalry thing pretty serious, huh?"

"Eh." She shrugged. "Their Sensei is an asshole. He's constantly dogging on us."

"Us?" He echoed, smirk broadening.

"Them," she corrected with a sniff. "You know what I meant."

The crowd shifted as the rock music blared. A faint chant drew their attention. The chant grew louder and more distinct. "Co-bra-Kai! Co-bra-Kai! Co-bra-Kai!"

"Oh my god! Here they come!" Tallulah squeaked. In her excitement she kept slapping Kingston on the chest and arm. He weathered through it with an indulgent smile.

Two rows of Cobras in their black gis broke through the crowd. No one put up any interference as they rushed the stage.

"Pick me up," she demanded, jumping onto his back, phone grasped in one hand.

Kingston shifted to make the climb easier for her. He made no complaints as her shoes dug into his lower back or when she threw her leg over his shoulder and nearly toppled them both. He grabbed her by the shins and tucked her feet under his arm. "Got it?" He called up to her.

She shifted atop him, once again appreciating the practicality of such broad shoulders, until they found a balance that was mutually beneficial. She turned her phone sideways and lined up the shot. She pressed the red button as the Cobras took the stage.

Triumphantly she squealed, "Got it! This is going to go viral."

Down below, Kingston chuckled and squeezed her shins.

Beside them, Kip watched on, horrified at how comfortable they were in such a position. "Is no one going to say anything?" He demanded of Kingston's father.

Mike gave him an odd look. "I don't think they're really blocking anyone's view," he said slowly.

"No, not that," he said, waving the other man's words away. "I meant the… thighs… and the… I mean, it's not... Isn't this weird?"

The odd look intensified, as if Kip were genuinely confusing him. "He's been in wrestling since the sixth grade. And, I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Tallulah is a cheerleader? They both do this stuff pretty regularly."

Kip crossed his arms and huffed, glaring at the teens.

Leaning over to speak into his ear, Zoe told him, "You look like you're about to pop a blood vessel. Chill, brother. She has a girlfriend, remember?"

"That doesn't change anything. He's still a teenage boy," he seethed.

Zoe leaned away with raised brows. "I trust Kingston. Even if I didn't, I trust Lulu. You should, too."

He glared at her. "I didn't think you of all people would be so naïve, Zo."

Her lips pursed. "I'm going to ignore that little jab because I'm not here to argue with you. I'm here to support Willard. Care to join me? Or are you too busy worrying about a seventeen year old girl's nonexistent sex life?"

"How do you know she's not having sex?" He demanded suspiciously.

"Not that it's any of your business," she said with an eye roll, "but she and I have broached the topic recently. Don't ask. If she wants you to know then she'll tell you."

"But I should know these things!" He snapped at her.

A single brow arched as she tilted her head at him. "Why?"

He went to speak but stopped short. Petulantly, he said, "You just don't want to tell me."

She snorted and rolled her eyes again. "No, you're right. I don't. Because – as I said before – it's not any of your business. The kids and I talk. Sex comes up every now and then. We discuss it like adults and move the fuck on." She raised a brow at him pointedly and went to stand by Veronica.

She didn't look up from her phone at Zoe's approach. The video she was taking of Tallulah screaming Aisha's name from where she was perched atop Kingston was of much more importance. It was for posterity, after all.

Once she put her phone down, Veronica spoke loudly enough that Kip was sure to overhear. "Is that asshole bothering you? Want me to smack him for you? I'll do it."

Zoe shook her head. "No, thanks."

"I'm serious."

"I know."

"I'll do it."

"If he pisses me off too badly, I'll keep you in mind," she promised.

This didn't entirely satisfy Veronica but she dropped the subject. Zoe, while amused by her friend's antics, was grateful.

Once the Cobras took their final bow, it was a rush to get to the backstage area first. Tallulah vaulted from her perch, using Kingston's palms as a springboard. He and Zoe were right behind her. Veronica and Mike followed at a more sedate pace. The sulking Kip brought up the rear.

Predictably, Tallulah and Kingston peeled off from the group as soon as they got there.

The moment Willard saw his family he practically sprinted. His threw himself at Zoe and wrapped his arms around her waist. The force nearly bowled her over but she didn't let on.

"Did you see me?" He asked excitedly, seeming unaware that his left eye was swelling up. "Did you see? It was so awesome!"

"Yeah, it was!" She agreed, grinning bright enough to rival the sun. "That was so fucking cool! That was amazing. What was that back kick thing you did that to other kid?"

If it was possible, he became even more excited. He was practically vibrating by that point. "You saw that?!"

"Lulu got everything on camera. She had King give her a boost," she said.

"That was her?!" He shouted, caught between awed and embarrassed. The end result was that he looked rather dazed. Then again, he did get kicked in the face pretty hard.

Kip appeared at their shoulders. "Willard! Buddy, that was awesome!"

It hurt how quickly Willard moved on from her to Kip. Her empty arms wrapped around herself. She stepped back, swallowing the jealousy. The big smile remained fixed on her face.

Two points prodded Zoe in the lower back. She made an undignified noise as she spun around, elbow drawn back. Johnny jumped out of the way and batted the limb aside.

"Johnny!" She sputtered.

"Hey, killer," he laughed. "So what did you think? It was righteous, right? Right?"

Her mind scrambled for what to say. "That was one hell of entrance, Mr. Lawrence."

"Yes! I knew it," he said to himself.

A snort escaped her. And just like that, her smile became genuine. "How bad did that finale hurt?"

Absently he flexed and shook out his right hand. "It's nothing," he brushed off. "What did you think of the sparklers? Not too much, right?"

"Right amount of sparklers," she agreed. "And the mock-brawl? It looked like a mosh pit! Was that rehearsed?"

Grinning, he shook his head and waved his hands. "No way, man. Diaz is the champ because he earns it."

"No Mercy, bitches!" Aisha crowed. Tallulah positively giggled from where she hung off Aisha's waist.

Zoe turned in time to see Willard join the celebration. He punched the air with both fists as he echoed the cheer. Their fellow Cobras took up the call.

Snorting and shaking her head fondly, she remarked, "You know, I've never seen anyone so thrilled about getting their ass handed to them."

Johnny crossed his arms over his chest as he surveyed his students with a proud glint in his eyes. "Nah. He fought hard. Virgin fights with the best of them. That's why we're better than that pussy shit LaRusso teaches."

She tilted her head towards him and raised her brow, but she couldn't manage to fully suppress her amusement. "I thought things were going well with Robby? You told me that you guys had dinner."

"Twice, yeah. No, things are fine with Robby. Better than usual, actually," he admitted, scratching his jaw. "That doesn't mean I've got to like all that kata crap."

That same fond look she had directed at Willard a moment before was now on Johnny. "Well, you're right about one thing," she said, leaning into his chest the slightest bit.

"Oh, yeah? What's that?" He asked with playful bravado. The tips of his fingers brushed against her ribs.

She reached up and tugged on his lapel. She looked up through her lashes and said, "Cobra Kai is the champ because they earn it."

He caught her by the chin and pressed his lips to hers. Her grip tightened on his gi. She pushed back into the kiss. As he started to pull away, her mouth chased his. He nipped at her bottom lip and chuckled at the pleased noise that escaped her.

"I have to… do something," he reminded her. He glanced over her shoulder and then smirked at her. "And it looks like you do, too. So you do your thing, and I'll do mine, and we can meet at the exit after."

"I like the way you think," she said, walking backwards a few steps.

He nodded and turned to walk away. His hand came up to his mouth and he glanced back at her. When he saw her still watching him, he flashed a smirk.

She sighed, content with the world at present.

* * *

Gathering everyone had been like herding cats. Zoe had picked up a few of the kids on the way to the event. Not all of those kids were riding home the same way. After she found the ones that were, she had to track done the ones that weren't to confirm that their ride situation was taken care of.

Veronica was being absolutely no help at all. She kept wandering off with Mike, who wanted to look at all of the new car models on display. Every time that she resurfaced she would make unsympathetic faces and tell her that those kids weren't her responsibility.

Unsupervised, Kingston had goaded a few of the Cobras into an impromptu wrestling match. Zoe was pretty sure he was flirting with Hawk. Seeing the extreme hairstyle and remembered the back tattoo, she could say that she was surprised with King's pursuit. His tastes tended run on the edgier side.

Finally, Zoe made it to the parking lot. All the correct people were in tow. She was anxious to get everyone where they were supposed to go so she could get to the next part of her evening: her date with Johnny.

Johnny was waiting there, leaning against a cement barrier. He lifted his arms. "What took so long? I figured you'd be here before I got done."

She rolled her eyes expressively and shook her head. "You don't even want to know. So, where am I meeting you?"

"You're not going with him?" Tallulah demanded from behind her.

Zoe twisted around to raise her eyebrows. "I didn't realize you were joining us, Lulu."

She rolled her eyes at her older sister. "First date rules: he drives."

"You're a lesbian," Kip reminded her.

"Yeah?" She shot back. "And?"

Johnny's blue eyes narrowed. "Who drove on your first date with Aisha Robinson?"

He chin lifted as she put her hands on her hips. "I did."

For his part, Johnny looked like this information came as a mildly intriguing surprise. Kingston, who had gotten bored since Hawk and Aisha and his own parents left, was deep into his phone. Despite this, he raised his hand in Tallulah's direction. She high-fived him, oozing smug satisfaction.

"The great thing about an adult," Zoe declared, unfazed, "is that I get to make my own rules. Fuck everyone else's."

Kingston mumbled something that sounded vaguely like "louder for the people in the back".

"Don't be an idiot," Tallulah sniffed. "You go with Johnny. I'll take everyone home."

Scoffing, Kip said, "Nice try, kid. I'll drive." He clapped his hands and then held them together like a baseball catcher. "Hit me," he called to Zoe.

"I'd love to," Tallulah said sweetly.

Kingston snickered as he scrolled through his phone. "Nice one, Lu."

The look Zoe sent them was only mildly reproving. She frowned at Kip. "You're not on the insurance. Sorry, big brother." She tossed Tallulah the keys and followed Johnny to the parking lot, leaving Kip's grumblings behind.

The Mustang's headlights flashed as Johnny unlocked the doors. "Ready?" He asked.

"Let me see your hand," she demanded.

Rolling his eyes, he obeyed and slapped his right hand, palm up, into hers.

She flipped it over. With a small frown, she examined his red knuckles. None of them were split or looked broken. Relaxing into a small smile she brought his knuckles to her lips. She looked up at him as she pressed a gentle kiss to each one.

"Keep that up and we won't get to the restaurant," he teased.

Grinning mischievously, she tilted her head to the side. Her tongue darted out. The tip of it skimmed over the reddest knuckle. She took great pleasure in the way the shit-eating grin dropped off his face and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"Let's go then," she said lightly, dropping his hand as she made to walk around the car.

Before she could get far, Johnny grabbed her elbow and spun her around. His hands went to her hips and guided her backwards until she was pressed against the Mustang. He crowded her close, nose brushing hers. He smirked when he felt her breathing hitch.

"Are you sure you want to play this game with me, Zo?"

She tilted her face up. Her lips ghosted over his but did not touch. "Worried you won't keep up, Johnny?" She retorted.

His chuckle reverberated through her. "Careful," he warned. His hands flexed on her hips and then, abruptly, he was gone. "Get in the car."

Skin flush with excitement, she hurried over to the passenger side. She couldn't wipe the stupid grin off her face as she slid onto the leather seat.

Johnny got in. The engine revved to life and the speaker blared out Scorpion. He peeled out of the parking spot and gunned for the road.

Once they were cruising down the highway, he reached across the cab to where Zoe was. His hand landed on her leg. Calluses whispered across her bare skin. His hand slid over her thigh to slip between them. His blunt nails dug in as he firmly gripped the inside of her thigh. The possessive gesture sent a delicious shiver down her spine. She laid her hand over his wrist to keep him there. They stayed this way until they got to the restaurant.


	13. Chapter 13

Zoe loved her job. There were a few pieces she could do without though. Namely, marketing and ledgers. Fortunately, she had an ace accountant who took care of her books. She had still to review them though, double-check the numbers to make sure everything was as it should. It was a headache and a half to wade through all the numbers but if it meant the security of Sweetwater, she was willing to endure a little.

A knock on the door drew her attention away. She was surprised when it was her brother that swaggered through the door.

She closed the folder and clasped her hands on top of it. "Kip," she said brightly, caution tempering the edges of her cheer. "What's going on?"

"I'm following your advice," he informed her.

Her brow ticked upwards as she shuffled through her last few conversations with him. "You got a job?" She hazarded a guess.

He flashed his teeth in a grin. "So close."

She frowned. "Are we seriously playing that game?"

"You know you want to," he goaded.

She pursed her lips. Finally, she sighed and broke out into a smile. "Okay," she said.

"That wasn't a question," he reminded her.

"Ha ha," she said sarcastically. "So are you intending to get a job?"

"Close."

"You're getting… Are you getting a job?"

"Closer," he drawled playfully.

"Do you have an interview set up?"

"Away."

"Did you have an interview already?" She corrected.

He squinted. "Stuck."

She looked at him bewildered. "There is no interview, is there?"

"Close."

"Dammit, Kip!" She laughed. "I give up."

He chuckled and grinned at her smugly. "Never could catch me," he boasted.

"Calling it chess is so stupid," she said with an eye roll.

"Funny how you only say that when you lose," he remarked.

She pursed her lips. "Are you going to gloat all day or are you going to tell me?"

"Was that another question?"

"Kip!"

Chuckling he plopped down into the seat across from hers. "Yes, I'm getting a job. No, there's no interview. I'm going to work here."

"No."

"What?" He cried out. "That's not fair."

"Neither is you coming in here demanding things," she pointed out with a tired sigh.

He threw up his hands. "I'm not demanding anything. It's only right that I work here. It is the family business, right?"

"Since when you do you care about that?" She demanded.

"Family is very important to me," he said, expression serious for once.

She huffed and scratched above her eyebrow. "I know that. I know," she muttered, not entirely believing what she was saying. History didn't exactly speak in his favor.

"Then you know that I should be here. This is the best place for me right now," he insisted.

"I don't know," she mumbled, looking away.

"Come on, Zoe-girl," Kip cajoled. "You told me to get a job, right?"

"Well, yes," she sputtered.

"So what's the holdup?" He was practically whining at this point.

She pursed her lips. "I didn't mean here."

"I've worked here before. You know I know what I'm doing," he reminded her.

"Using your previous experience here as a reference is not a good idea," she said heatedly. "Or do you not remember how that ended?"

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. Lazily he leaned his weight onto the arm of his chair. He didn't have a care in the world. It infuriated her. This was mostly because she knew that she would cave to him, and that he knew it, too.

"Fine," she snapped. "You start as a busser."

"What?! I've been a bartender for over a decade!" He objected.

"Then find a better offer somewhere else," she hissed.

He held up his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. You win. You want to play hard ball, that's fine. I'll take what I can get."

She managed a tight nod. "Good. Now get the hell out of my office."

* * *

Aisha requested to plan their third date. She wanted it to be a surprise and had refused to let a word slip to anyone. None of her friends knew what she was planning – Tallulah had checked.

It was safe to say that she was very confused when they arrived at the park. Aisha made her close her eyes, forcing Tallulah to trust that her girlfriend wouldn't lead her straight into a pole. Then she had to stand there, eyes still closed, as Aisha rummaged around.

"Open your eyes," Aisha encouraged at last.

Tallulah did, and then she gasped.

When she had been stewing over what her upcoming surprise was going to be, she hadn't pictured anything so sweet as what she saw. A tall oak tree provided a nice shady spot. Below it, the blue blanket that had been set out had tiny yellow suns printed all over it. A full picnic was on display. In the middle of it all was Aisha.

"Ta da," she said with jittery jazz hands. It did nothing to hide the anticipation in her eyes, waiting for her girlfriend's reaction.

"Awwwwww," Tallulah exclaimed, gracefully resting on the blanket beside Aisha. The skirt of here white sundress floated for a second before settling, fanned out around her. "Babe! This is so cute. I have to take a picture."

Obligingly, Aisha leaned into the frame as Tallulah snapped a quick selfie. Her thumbs raced to add the caption "One queen treating another to a surprise picnic #RelationshipGoals". After a quick confirmation from her girlfriend, she submitted it.

To her delighted astonishment, she found that Aisha had managed to gather many of the foods that Tallulah didn't totally hate. She wondered if she had asked one of her friends what she liked or if she had learned from observation. Either way, it was such a thoughtful gesture.

"It all looks so good. Where do I even start?" She asked, overwhelmed by her choices.

"Here," she said as she fished something green from the fruit bowl. "Kiwi is your favorite, right?"

Grinning, Tallulah leaned forward and wrapped her hand around Aisha's wrist. She loved the way her eyes widened as she took the kiwi slice with her teeth.

"I'll take that as a yes, then," she laughed.

Tallulah picked up an orange slice. "Your turn."

They giggled and fed each other bits of fruit, knees bumping. Aisha licked a bit of pineapple juice off of Tallulah's finger. The sight did funny things to Lulu's insides. The color in her cheeks had nothing to do with the weather.

In a desperate attempt to maintain her façade of control, she commanded Aisha, "Tell me about your day."

She shrugged. "It was alright." Idly she picked through the tray until she found a cube of cantaloupe. "Open up."

Tallulah was happy to cooperate. She chewed thoughtfully and swallowed before she asked, "Just alright?"

"Yeah. I mean, we got a few more recruits at the dojo," she mentioned. "There's even a new girl."

"That's cool," she commented, knowing Aisha felt singled being the only girl at Cobra Kai.

"Her name's Tory – with a Y." She rolled her eyes at that last bit, earning a giggle from Tallulah.

"Is she any good?"

"She got Miguel down on the mat a few times." Seeing Tallulah's raised brows, she nodded. "I know, right? She's pretty badass at fighting already. I don't know why she needs Cobra Kai," Aisha admitted.

Absently she hummed in acknowledgement. She knew that she should be paying more attention. To be honest, she was much more interested in the way Aisha's lips parted before she took a bite of the strawberry offered to her.

Tallulah scooted closer to until their thighs were pressed together. She put down the strawberry to drag her fingertip along the sensitive skin on the inside of Aisha's arm. When she felt the hitch in her breathing, she moved to the hem of Aisha's shorts, tugging idly.

Aisha gulped. "Did – um – d-did you want to hear about the others?"

"Let's not talk about karate right now," Tallulah purred.

"Okay," she said shakily. "We could talk about the TED Talk I watched last night. Some CEO of Sirius XM was talking about preserving human memories on computers. Fascinating stuff."

The tip of her nose skimmed her neck as she inhaled the scent of shea butter and that thing she could never identify that was distinctly Aisha. "Am I making you nervous?" She whispered, lips brushing against her earlobe.

"Yes," she confessed. "Someone might see."

Tallulah raised head head to look her girlfriend in the eyes. "Do you want me to stop?"

Brown eyes strayed. Aisha's raised her hand to Tallulah's sun-kissed shoulder. She hooked a single finger under the strap of her sundress. It was a thin, insubstantial thing. She played with a moment before she firmly said, "No."

She smirked. "I'm glad to hear that."

Carefully, Tallulah removed Aisha's glasses. She set them on top of the cooler so they wouldn't get crushed by accident and then turned back to her girlfriend. A slender hand cupped her round cheek. Her thumb brushed over her pump bottom lip, slightly sticky from the juice. She licked her own reflexively. Tilting her head, she brought them together.

A sigh passed between them. Tallulah wasn't sure if it was hers or Aisha's. It didn't matter because soon it was lost in a series of gasps and giggles.

"Lulu?" Aisha panted, the material below Tallulah's shoulder blades bunching in her hands.

"Hmm?" She responded distractedly. She kissed her chin, her jaw, her neck. This elicited another delicious gasp from her girlfriend that she reveled in.

Aisha carded through loose waves of golden hair. In her ear she whispered, "I think I'm falling in love with you."

"I would hope so," Tallulah declared between kisses. "I've loved you for weeks now. I was wondering when you were going to finally say something."

It was such a Tallulah response – all imperial impatience and confidence – that Aisha had to laugh.

"You could have said it first!" She told her, mock-scolding.

"We're saying it now," she pointed out. "Together. I think that's cause for celebration."

Aisha huffed out another exasperated laugh. "Oh yeah? How do you plan on celebrating then?"

Tallulah lifted her head to kiss Aisha on the mouth that she adored so much. "I have a few ideas," she purred.

Aisha had to admit that Tallulah did have good ideas. Very, very good ideas. It was one of the many things she loved about her.

* * *

Tallulah knocked on Willard's door. When he called for her come in, she chose to hang back at the threshold. "I'm leaving. I already texted Zo, so you should text her in an hour to let her know you're alive."

"Kip is here. You don't need to run me through the drill."

She gave him a hard look. "Text her. One hour. Don't go anywhere without asking her first. Try not to impale yourself on the TV remote or anything equally stupid. I know you're prone to that."

"Oh am I?" He said in a pinched voice, unable to come up with a better comeback.

"Point proven," she retorted, tossing a blonde braid over her shoulder. "Just try not to die."

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"A movie, I think. I'm going with King and Sam and them," she said with a shrug.

"Isn't Samantha LaRusso part of Miyagi-Do? Is that who 'them' is?" He asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, he joined not long ago," she replied.

"Wait – what?!"

"Chill out, spazz. It's not that big of a deal." She rolled her eyes.

"Not a big deal? Not a BIG DEAL?! Has all that makeup poisoned your brain? They're the enemy!" He shouted at her.

She put her hand on her hip and popped it to the side. "Are you yelling at me right now?"

"WHAT IF I AM?"

Her eyes narrowed to slits. "You really want to play this game with me, Willard?" She hissed dangerously.

He did his best to keep eye contact. He really did. All the lessons from his karate training screamed at him not to show weakness. After only a few seconds he turned away. Through gritted teeth, he said, "No."

Her stance relaxed. She shifted her weight to the other hip and swung her hair around to the other side. "That's what I thought. Kingston will never be my enemy, dumbass. And you better not be rude when Sam comes over."

"The hell I will," he snarled.

She pointed her finger at him. "You're making her pancakes and you be fucking polite to my guest or I will shave your head while you're sleeping. Got it?"

"Fuck off, Tallulah Mae."

"Good. I'm glad that we have an understanding. Now, I'm leaving. Don't listen to Kip while I'm gone. He's a bigger idiot than you are." With that she turned on her the toe of her wedge sandal and walked away, leaving her little brother fuming in his bedroom. She left the house without saying goodbye to Kip.

The conversation persisted with Tallulah. She understood that the Miyagi-Do Sensei was a bit of a dick. He hadn't been her favorite person back when he was "Samantha's Dad" either. But that didn't mean anything about Kingston. It didn't even mean that much about Sam. That Sensei Kreese wasn't exactly a good dude but that didn't lower her opinion of any of the Cobras. Tallulah definitely felt a certain loyalty to Cobra Kai. She had a lot of people she cared about that were connected there. Honestly, if it hadn't been for Aisha, she wouldn't have gotten so involved.

That line of thinking landed her squarely on the problem she hadn't wanted to think about.

It took six dramatic sighs and two groans before Kingston finally relented.

"What?" He demanded.

"Nothing," she whined.

"We're not playing this game, Lu. I'm tired of listening to your whale songs," he snapped at her.

Her upper lip curled in a sneer. "Christ, you're suck a punk. Why do I put up with you?"

"Probably for a better reason than the one that I put up with you for," he retorted. "Now, tell me what's on your mind or shut the fuck up about it."

"Fine," she spat at him, crossing her arms. "There's a new girl at Cobra Kai and I don't like her, okay?"

She hadn't thought much about who this girl might have been when Alisha told her about the newest addition. Once she had seen her though, her interest was piqued, and not in a good way. She was too pretty. She was too cool. She was standing too fucking close to her girlfriend.

He dropped his head back against the brick wall. In a long-suffering monotone, he asked, "What don't you like about her?"

"She's all over my girl and if she doesn't back off, I'm going to have a body to hide," she informed him darkly.

"Okay," Kingston said slowly, lifting his head to squint at her. "You know I don't have a problem with the murder thing. I'm not so big on where your head's at. What happened to 'relationships are about mutual trust' and all that bullshit?"

"It's not bullshit," she insisted.

"Well, what you're saying sure as shit doesn't sound like trust to me," he deadpanned.

She huffed. "I trust Alisha. It's Tory that's the problem." She spat the other girl's name like it left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Oof."

She didn't want to see whatever sympathy or judgment or whatever else Kingston was aiming at her. His gaze burned into the side of her head. She refused to look up. Instead, she scowled at the random person passing them by. The innocent bystander, a customer from the Carl's Jr fast-food restaurant, quickly scurried to the other side of the parking lot.

"This new girl – is she hot?" Kingston inquired.

"Yes," she grumbled, expression mutinous.

After a moment of deliberation, he shrugged. "I'll take care of it."

A wave of relief washed over her. It was so strong that her shoulders sagged as she let out a deep exhale. "Would you?" She asked hopefully.

She didn't ask why or how. The methods he chose to use weren't something she was going to split hairs about. If it got the job done, it was good enough for her. She knew Kingston would be able to handle it.

"Yeah," he said with another shrug. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it. I got you."

She stood on her tiptoes to place a quick kiss on his cheek. "You're so good to me, King."

"Not such a punk then, huh?" He challenged, grinning slyly at her.

"Oh, no. You're definitely a punk ass. But at least I know why I keep you around," she informed him.

Meanwhile, Willard was still fuming in his bedroom. He couldn't fathom the depth of the betrayal. Kingston was like family; like an infuriating cousin that was too cool to hang out with "kids" but family nonetheless. How could he go join the enemy? He hadn't even given Cobra Kai a try!

And Tallulah – his own sister. She blew it off as if it was nothing. He knew that she was only doing it because it was Kingston. If it had been anyone else, he was sure that she would have been just as furious as him. But no. It was King and anything he did was not only excusable, it was lauded. He turned his back on Cobra Kai. As far as Willard was concerned, Tallulah was doing the same.

He pulled his phone out and typed furiously.

**Willard:** I have some bad news

**Willard:** It's really bad

**Willard:** I mean it

**Willard:** freakin text me back!

**Aisha:** What is your deal? Is something wrong? Are you ok?

**Willard:** it's about lulu

**Aisha:** oMG IS SHE OK?

**Willard:** she's a traitor

**Aisha:** What are you talking about?

**Willard:** her friend kingston joined miyagi do

**Willard:** she's totally okay with that can u believe it?

**Aisha:** What the hell, man!

**Willard:** ikr

**Aisha:** I was actually worried! You are sUCH AN ASS

**Aisha:** dON'T DO THAT AGAIN

She sent a bunch of angry faced emojis and two fists for good measure.

He stared at his screen open mouthed. How was this possible? Aisha was one of the original Cobras. The disappointment that washed through him quickly turned to rush of anger. He switched contacts in his messages and typed once more.

**Willard:** kingston joined miyagi do

**Willard:** my traitor fuckin sister is hanging out with him and those miyagi do pussies

He waited. His leg jiggled harder the longer he waited. The chair he was sitting in rattled. When his phone dinged, he snatched it up so fast that it slipped out of his hand and hit his lap. It landed on the floor. He dove for it.

Eagerly he opened the message. The angry, nervous ball in his stomach loosened and he let out a long exhale. This – this is what he was looking for.

**Hawk:** What. The. Fuck.


	14. Chapter 14

Zoe loved her job. There were a few pieces she could do without though. Namely, marketing and ledgers. Fortunately, she had an ace accountant who took care of her books. She had still to review them though, double-check the numbers to make sure everything was as it should. It was a headache and a half to wade through all the numbers but if it meant the security of Sweetwater, she was willing to endure a little.

A knock on the door drew her attention away. She was surprised when it was her brother that swaggered through the door.

She closed the folder and clasped her hands on top of it. "Kip," she said brightly, caution tempering the edges of her cheer. "What's going on?"

"I'm following your advice," he informed her.

Her brow ticked upwards as she shuffled through her last few conversations with him. "You got a job?" She hazarded a guess.

He flashed his teeth in a grin. "So close."

She frowned. "Are we seriously playing that game?"

"You know you want to," he goaded.

She pursed her lips. Finally, she sighed and broke out into a smile. "Okay," she said.

"That wasn't a question," he reminded her.

"Ha ha," she said sarcastically. "So are you intending to get a job?"

"Close."

"You're getting… Are you getting a job?"

"Closer," he drawled playfully.

"Do you have an interview set up?"

"Away."

"Did you have an interview already?" She corrected.

He squinted. "Stuck."

She looked at him bewildered. "There is no interview, is there?"

"Close."

"Dammit, Kip!" She laughed. "I give up."

He chuckled and grinned at her smugly. "Never could catch me," he boasted.

"Calling it chess is so stupid," she said with an eye roll.

"Funny how you only say that when you lose," he remarked.

She pursed her lips. "Are you going to gloat all day or are you going to tell me?"

"Was that another question?"

"Kip!"

Chuckling he plopped down into the seat across from hers. "Yes, I'm getting a job. No, there's no interview. I'm going to work here."

"No."

"What?" He cried out. "That's not fair."

"Neither is you coming in here demanding things," she pointed out with a tired sigh.

He threw up his hands. "I'm not demanding anything. It's only right that I work here. It is the family business, right?"

"Since when you do you care about that?" She demanded.

"Family is very important to me," he said, expression serious for once.

She huffed and scratched above her eyebrow. "I know that. I know," she muttered, not entirely believing what she was saying. History didn't exactly speak in his favor.

"Then you know that I should be here. This is the best place for me right now," he insisted.

"I don't know," she mumbled, looking away.

"Come on, Zoe-girl," Kip cajoled. "You told me to get a job, right?"

"Well, yes," she sputtered.

"So what's the holdup?" He was practically whining at this point.

She pursed her lips. "I didn't mean here."

"I've worked here before. You know I know what I'm doing," he reminded her.

"Using your previous experience here as a reference is not a good idea," she said heatedly. "Or do you not remember how that ended?"

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. Lazily he leaned his weight onto the arm of his chair. He didn't have a care in the world. It infuriated her. This was mostly because she knew that she would cave to him, and that he knew it, too.

"Fine," she snapped. "You start as a busser."

"What?! I've been a bartender for over a decade!" He objected.

"Then find a better offer somewhere else," she hissed.

He held up his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. You win. You want to play hard ball, that's fine. I'll take what I can get."

She managed a tight nod. "Good. Now get the hell out of my office."

* * *

Aisha requested to plan their third date. She wanted it to be a surprise and had refused to let a word slip to anyone. None of her friends knew what she was planning – Tallulah had checked.

It was safe to say that she was very confused when they arrived at the park. Aisha made her close her eyes, forcing Tallulah to trust that her girlfriend wouldn't lead her straight into a pole. Then she had to stand there, eyes still closed, as Aisha rummaged around.

"Open your eyes," Aisha encouraged at last.

Tallulah did, and then she gasped.

When she had been stewing over what her upcoming surprise was going to be, she hadn't pictured anything so sweet as what she saw. A tall oak tree provided a nice shady spot. Below it, the blue blanket that had been set out had tiny yellow suns printed all over it. A full picnic was on display. In the middle of it all was Aisha.

"Ta da," she said with jittery jazz hands. It did nothing to hide the anticipation in her eyes, waiting for her girlfriend's reaction.

"Awwwwww," Tallulah exclaimed, gracefully resting on the blanket beside Aisha. The skirt of here white sundress floated for a second before settling, fanned out around her. "Babe! This is so cute. I have to take a picture."

Obligingly, Aisha leaned into the frame as Tallulah snapped a quick selfie. Her thumbs raced to add the caption "One queen treating another to a surprise picnic #RelationshipGoals". After a quick confirmation from her girlfriend, she submitted it.

To her delighted astonishment, she found that Aisha had managed to gather many of the foods that Tallulah didn't totally hate. She wondered if she had asked one of her friends what she liked or if she had learned from observation. Either way, it was such a thoughtful gesture.

"It all looks so good. Where do I even start?" She asked, overwhelmed by her choices.

"Here," she said as she fished something green from the fruit bowl. "Kiwi is your favorite, right?"

Grinning, Tallulah leaned forward and wrapped her hand around Aisha's wrist. She loved the way her eyes widened as she took the kiwi slice with her teeth.

"I'll take that as a yes, then," she laughed.

Tallulah picked up an orange slice. "Your turn."

They giggled and fed each other bits of fruit, knees bumping. Aisha licked a bit of pineapple juice off of Tallulah's finger. The sight did funny things to Lulu's insides. The color in her cheeks had nothing to do with the weather.

In a desperate attempt to maintain her façade of control, she commanded Aisha, "Tell me about your day."

She shrugged. "It was alright." Idly she picked through the tray until she found a cube of cantaloupe. "Open up."

Tallulah was happy to cooperate. She chewed thoughtfully and swallowed before she asked, "Just alright?"

"Yeah. I mean, we got a few more recruits at the dojo," she mentioned. "There's even a new girl."

"That's cool," she commented, knowing Aisha felt singled being the only girl at Cobra Kai.

"Her name's Tory – with a Y." She rolled her eyes at that last bit, earning a giggle from Tallulah.

"Is she any good?"

"She got Miguel down on the mat a few times." Seeing Tallulah's raised brows, she nodded. "I know, right? She's pretty badass at fighting already. I don't know why she needs Cobra Kai," Aisha admitted.

Absently she hummed in acknowledgement. She knew that she should be paying more attention. To be honest, she was much more interested in the way Aisha's lips parted before she took a bite of the strawberry offered to her.

Tallulah scooted closer to until their thighs were pressed together. She put down the strawberry to drag her fingertip along the sensitive skin on the inside of Aisha's arm. When she felt the hitch in her breathing, she moved to the hem of Aisha's shorts, tugging idly.

Aisha gulped. "Did – um – d-did you want to hear about the others?"

"Let's not talk about karate right now," Tallulah purred.

"Okay," she said shakily. "We could talk about the TED Talk I watched last night. Some CEO of Sirius XM was talking about preserving human memories on computers. Fascinating stuff."

The tip of her nose skimmed her neck as she inhaled the scent of shea butter and that thing she could never identify that was distinctly Aisha. "Am I making you nervous?" She whispered, lips brushing against her earlobe.

"Yes," she confessed. "Someone might see."

Tallulah raised head head to look her girlfriend in the eyes. "Do you want me to stop?"

Brown eyes strayed. Aisha's raised her hand to Tallulah's sun-kissed shoulder. She hooked a single finger under the strap of her sundress. It was a thin, insubstantial thing. She played with a moment before she firmly said, "No."

She smirked. "I'm glad to hear that."

Carefully, Tallulah removed Aisha's glasses. She set them on top of the cooler so they wouldn't get crushed by accident and then turned back to her girlfriend. A slender hand cupped her round cheek. Her thumb brushed over her pump bottom lip, slightly sticky from the juice. She licked her own reflexively. Tilting her head, she brought them together.

A sigh passed between them. Tallulah wasn't sure if it was hers or Aisha's. It didn't matter because soon it was lost in a series of gasps and giggles.

"Lulu?" Aisha panted, the material below Tallulah's shoulder blades bunching in her hands.

"Hmm?" She responded distractedly. She kissed her chin, her jaw, her neck. This elicited another delicious gasp from her girlfriend that she reveled in.

Aisha carded through loose waves of golden hair. In her ear she whispered, "I think I'm falling in love with you."

"I would hope so," Tallulah declared between kisses. "I've loved you for weeks now. I was wondering when you were going to finally say something."

It was such a Tallulah response – all imperial impatience and confidence – that Aisha had to laugh.

"You could have said it first!" She told her, mock-scolding.

"We're saying it now," she pointed out. "Together. I think that's cause for celebration."

Aisha huffed out another exasperated laugh. "Oh yeah? How do you plan on celebrating then?"

Tallulah lifted her head to kiss Aisha on the mouth that she adored so much. "I have a few ideas," she purred.

Aisha had to admit that Tallulah did have good ideas. Very, very good ideas. It was one of the many things she loved about her.

* * *

Tallulah knocked on Willard's door. When he called for her come in, she chose to hang back at the threshold. "I'm leaving. I already texted Zo, so you should text her in an hour to let her know you're alive."

"Kip is here. You don't need to run me through the drill."

She gave him a hard look. "Text her. One hour. Don't go anywhere without asking her first. Try not to impale yourself on the TV remote or anything equally stupid. I know you're prone to that."

"Oh am I?" He said in a pinched voice, unable to come up with a better comeback.

"Point proven," she retorted, tossing a blonde braid over her shoulder. "Just try not to die."

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"A movie, I think. I'm going with King and Sam and them," she said with a shrug.

"Isn't Samantha LaRusso part of Miyagi-Do? Is that who 'them' is?" He asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, he joined not long ago," she replied.

"Wait – what?!"

"Chill out, spazz. It's not that big of a deal." She rolled her eyes.

"Not a big deal? Not a BIG DEAL?! Has all that makeup poisoned your brain? They're the enemy!" He shouted at her.

She put her hand on her hip and popped it to the side. "Are you yelling at me right now?"

"WHAT IF I AM?"

Her eyes narrowed to slits. "You really want to play this game with me, Willard?" She hissed dangerously.

He did his best to keep eye contact. He really did. All the lessons from his karate training screamed at him not to show weakness. After only a few seconds he turned away. Through gritted teeth, he said, "No."

Her stance relaxed. She shifted her weight to the other hip and swung her hair around to the other side. "That's what I thought. Kingston will never be my enemy, dumbass. And you better not be rude when Sam comes over."

"The hell I will," he snarled.

She pointed her finger at him. "You're making her pancakes and you be fucking polite to my guest or I will shave your head while you're sleeping. Got it?"

"Fuck off, Tallulah Mae."

"Good. I'm glad that we have an understanding. Now, I'm leaving. Don't listen to Kip while I'm gone. He's a bigger idiot than you are." With that she turned on her the toe of her wedge sandal and walked away, leaving her little brother fuming in his bedroom. She left the house without saying goodbye to Kip.

The conversation persisted with Tallulah. She understood that the Miyagi-Do Sensei was a bit of a dick. He hadn't been her favorite person back when he was "Samantha's Dad" either. But that didn't mean anything about Kingston. It didn't even mean that much about Sam. That Sensei Kreese wasn't exactly a good dude but that didn't lower her opinion of any of the Cobras. Tallulah definitely felt a certain loyalty to Cobra Kai. She had a lot of people she cared about that were connected there. Honestly, if it hadn't been for Aisha, she wouldn't have gotten so involved.

That line of thinking landed her squarely on the problem she hadn't wanted to think about.

It took six dramatic sighs and two groans before Kingston finally relented.

"What?" He demanded.

"Nothing," she whined.

"We're not playing this game, Lu. I'm tired of listening to your whale songs," he snapped at her.

Her upper lip curled in a sneer. "Christ, you're suck a punk. Why do I put up with you?"

"Probably for a better reason than the one that I put up with you for," he retorted. "Now, tell me what's on your mind or shut the fuck up about it."

"Fine," she spat at him, crossing her arms. "There's a new girl at Cobra Kai and I don't like her, okay?"

She hadn't thought much about who this girl might have been when Alisha told her about the newest addition. Once she had seen her though, her interest was piqued, and not in a good way. She was too pretty. She was too cool. She was standing too fucking close to her girlfriend.

He dropped his head back against the brick wall. In a long-suffering monotone, he asked, "What don't you like about her?"

"She's all over my girl and if she doesn't back off, I'm going to have a body to hide," she informed him darkly.

"Okay," Kingston said slowly, lifting his head to squint at her. "You know I don't have a problem with the murder thing. I'm not so big on where your head's at. What happened to 'relationships are about mutual trust' and all that bullshit?"

"It's not bullshit," she insisted.

"Well, what you're saying sure as shit doesn't sound like trust to me," he deadpanned.

She huffed. "I trust Alisha. It's Tory that's the problem." She spat the other girl's name like it left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Oof."

She didn't want to see whatever sympathy or judgment or whatever else Kingston was aiming at her. His gaze burned into the side of her head. She refused to look up. Instead, she scowled at the random person passing them by. The innocent bystander, a customer from the Carl's Jr fast-food restaurant, quickly scurried to the other side of the parking lot.

"This new girl – is she hot?" Kingston inquired.

"Yes," she grumbled, expression mutinous.

After a moment of deliberation, he shrugged. "I'll take care of it."

A wave of relief washed over her. It was so strong that her shoulders sagged as she let out a deep exhale. "Would you?" She asked hopefully.

She didn't ask why or how. The methods he chose to use weren't something she was going to split hairs about. If it got the job done, it was good enough for her. She knew Kingston would be able to handle it.

"Yeah," he said with another shrug. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it. I got you."

She stood on her tiptoes to place a quick kiss on his cheek. "You're so good to me, King."

"Not such a punk then, huh?" He challenged, grinning slyly at her.

"Oh, no. You're definitely a punk ass. But at least I know why I keep you around," she informed him.

Meanwhile, Willard was still fuming in his bedroom. He couldn't fathom the depth of the betrayal. Kingston was like family; like an infuriating cousin that was too cool to hang out with "kids" but family nonetheless. How could he go join the enemy? He hadn't even given Cobra Kai a try!

And Tallulah – his own sister. She blew it off as if it was nothing. He knew that she was only doing it because it was Kingston. If it had been anyone else, he was sure that she would have been just as furious as him. But no. It was King and anything he did was not only excusable, it was lauded. He turned his back on Cobra Kai. As far as Willard was concerned, Tallulah was doing the same.

He pulled his phone out and typed furiously.

**Willard:** I have some bad news

**Willard:** It's really bad

**Willard:** I mean it

**Willard:** freakin text me back!

**Aisha:** What is your deal? Is something wrong? Are you ok?

**Willard:** it's about lulu

**Aisha:** oMG IS SHE OK?

**Willard:** she's a traitor

**Aisha:** What are you talking about?

**Willard:** her friend kingston joined miyagi do

**Willard:** she's totally okay with that can u believe it?

**Aisha:** What the hell, man!

**Willard:** ikr

**Aisha:** I was actually worried! You are sUCH AN ASS

**Aisha:** dON'T DO THAT AGAIN

She sent a bunch of angry faced emojis and two fists for good measure.

He stared at his screen open mouthed. How was this possible? Aisha was one of the original Cobras. The disappointment that washed through him quickly turned to rush of anger. He switched contacts in his messages and typed once more.

**Willard:** kingston joined miyagi do

**Willard:** my traitor fuckin sister is hanging out with him and those miyagi do pussies

He waited. His leg jiggled harder the longer he waited. The chair he was sitting in rattled. When his phone dinged, he snatched it up so fast that it slipped out of his hand and hit his lap. It landed on the floor. He dove for it.

Eagerly he opened the message. The angry, nervous ball in his stomach loosened and he let out a long exhale. This – this is what he was looking for.

**Hawk:** What. The. Fuck.

* * *

**Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for reading. If you have the time, please check out the poll I set up for this story. You can find it on my page.**

**Much obliged ~ WrittenByMeow**


	15. Chapter 15

There wasn't much that Zoe liked about the new arrangement. Kip was as rebellious as ever and always causing friction with Lakeisha. He was the unstoppable force meeting her immoveable object and it was enough to reduce Zoe to a nervous wreck.

She wished that Kip was a little more quarrelsome with some. Every giggle that came from Marie's section of the tables set Zoe's teeth a little further on edge. Usually so unflappable, it was both frustrating and perhaps a little disappointing how quickly Marie fell to her brother's charms. Curse Kip and his stupid, handsome face. She could just smack it sometimes.

Just as her mood was spiraling further down, a welcome distraction walked through the door. Her face split into a grin. "Hi, Johnny."

Her leaned his forearms onto the bar top. "Hey, gorgeous."

Her grin faded into a worried frown. "Oh, no."

"No what?" He demanded.

"You've got that face," she said as she crossed her arms. "You're about to tell me some bad news."

He sighed and ran his palm over his hair, flattening it down. "Yeah… Yeah, I do."

"Is it about Willard?"

"It could be," he said vaguely.

She pursed her lips. "Are you trying to give me gray hair? Tell me already."

Shaking his head, he said, "It's about the kids… at the dojo, I mean. One of them – or some of them, I don't know – trashed LaRusso's place the other night."

Her shoulders slumped. "Yeah, I heard about that."

His brows shot up. "You did? How?"

"Kingston, my best friend's son, joined them. He called Lulu. Lulu called Aisha. They both came over. Let's just say it was not pretty."

"Fuck," he said, wincing in sympathy. "Did they fight?"

"No – worse than that. They're plotting," she said emphatically.

Johnny just looked confused.

"Do you know how stressful it is constantly updating an alibi for three teenagers?" She asked him. "You know, just on the off chance a body shows up."

The confusion was now tinged with terror but he did a good job of covering it up. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm… I'm not going to even ask."

"Probably wise," she agreed.

"I just wanted to come tell you in person. Virgin might have part of it, but I don't know. Nobody's talking. The little shits."

"Thanks," she said with a weak smile.

"There's something else, too…"

"Oh, God. More bad news?" She guessed.

He shrugged. "I got a call from one of my buddies. Our friend is… well, he's dying. Fucking cancer. I'm going out to see him. We all are. You know, get the boys back together. I don't know how long I'll be gone."

She opened her mouth and closed it right away. There wasn't a whole lot she could say to that, could she? Finally, she settled on, "When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning," he replied gruffly, glancing at her sideways.

She sighed and nodded slowly. "Okay. Good luck, I guess?"

Rolling his eyes, he muttered, "Yeah, right." After a moment he slapped the bar top and straightened up. "I gotta motor. Those kids will be at my door in, like, an hour," he said.

She leaned up on her tip toes to kiss his cheek. "Okay. Have a good class."

He chuffed her under the chin and walked out the door.

"What was that asshole doing here?" Kip drawled, coming up to the bar.

Her lips pursed. "I'm more interested in what you're doing with Marie."

He scratched the stubble on his neck. "Working – what else?"

"Maybe a little more than working," she said snidely.

He blew out his lips. "Get off my back, Zo."

"You remember the policy about dating in the workplace," she advised him, "because I'm not know for being lenient about it."

He scoffed as he leaned back on the bar, using his elbows to prop him up. "You're the one locking lips in front of customers," he accused.

"It was on the cheek," she snapped. "For one. Two, Johnny's not an employee. He's usually a customer but sometimes he stops by."

"Is that how you treat all your customers then? No wonder this place is still afloat," Kip muttered.

"Three," she said sharply, narrowing her eyes at him, "I'm the fucking boss. If I want to kiss my boyfriend during hours, I'm going to fucking do it, and the goddamned staff will keep their traps shut. That includes you. Understood?"

Kip rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Hypocrite." He pushed off the bar, slung a dirty rag over his shoulder, and sauntered off, leaving a fuming Zoe behind.

She wanted to slap him in his stupid, stupid face – hard. Stupid big brothers.

That night, Zoe's stomach was a big ball of nerves as she approached Willard's bedroom door. She inhaled through her nose, counted to three, and let it out. It didn't help any. Licking her lips, she rapped her knuckles on the door. When he called for her to come in, she did so feeling like she was stepping into a trap.

Willard glanced up from his homework. "Hey," he greeted, brows furrowed. "What's wrong?"

She pursed her lips and wrapped her arms tighter around herself. "We need to talk."

Cautiously he closed his textbook. "Those are, like, the four worst words in the English language. It's not… Nobody's dead, are they?"

Quickly she shook her head. "No," she assured him, "nothing like that. But it is serious."

"Okay," he said slowly. "What's up?"

There was no good way to bring it up gently so she just dived right in. "Do you want to tell me what you were doing last weekend?"

He frowned at her. "I was at Bert's house. You know that."

"I believe you. But I don't believe that's all you did," she said calmly.

He jumped to his feet. "What do you think I did?" He demanded.

"I think you were part of the group that messed with the Miyagi-Do dojo," she informed him, mouth pursed.

The color drained from his face. He stammered for a minute until his brows drew together as he realized something. As fast as he had paled, Willard's face went red. His fists clenched by his side. "Who told you?"

"Obviously a reliable source," she stated, gaze narrowing.

"Tell me!" He roared.

"Hey, what's going on in here?" Kip asked, poking his head around the doorframe.

"Do you want to tell him or do you want to handle this between us?" Zoe asked Willard.

Willard stomped his feet as he paced in front of his computer. "This is such bullshit!"

She sighed. Grimly, she faced Kip. "A few nights ago, the Miyagi-Do Karate dojo was trashed. Somebody scratched 'Cobra Kai Never Dies' into one of the cars – like a moron, might I add," she snapped, glaring at Willard.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He seethed.

"If you're going to be a fucking criminal, don't be a stupid one," she retorted.

Kip raised his hands, jumping between the two squabbling siblings. "Whoa, whoa! Time out, guys. Zoe, I think we can both agree that this is getting a little out of hand, yes?"

She crossed her arms and sighed through her nose. "Yes, I agree," she admitted, "that was out of line. I'm sorry."

"Apology NOT accepted," Willard spat at her.

"Willard James Werner," Kip snapped, glaring at the boy, jabbing a finger in his direction. "You will not speak to Zoe that way."

His jaw dropped. "She fucking started it!"

"Willard," Kip repeated, voice hard.

He threw up his hands and dropped backwards onto the bed. "I can't believe this."

"Maybe we need a break," Zoe suggested.

Kip frowned. "Shouldn't we, you know, talk about this?"

"We will," she said, raising a brow at a mutinous Willard. "But I think I need to breathe before we continue. Willard?"

He scoffed and crossed his arms, thrusting his jaw forward. "Whatever. Just get the fuck out of my room."

Shock, quickly followed by fury, took hold of Kip. He stepped forward, finger raised and shoulders thrown back, ready for a fight. Zoe threw her arm out across his chest to stop him.

"Let's go," she murmured.

"But – he just said - "

"I know," she said softly. "Just let it go. We all say hurtful things when we're angry. We can all discuss it later."

He growled, clenched his jaw, and stormed out of the room.

Stiffly, Zoe turned to Willard. "Meet you in the living room in an hour?" She suggested.

"Fine," he grunted.

She marched straight to her bedroom. She locked the door behind her, climbed onto her bed, and flopped face-first into the pillows. In a sudden frenzy of movement, she was thrashing and screaming. The pillows that weren't muffling the sound jumped ship. As quickly as the fit came, it passed. Zoe was left panting and red-faced and teary-eyed. She felt better, but only by a little bit. She rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling.

Not for the first time but the first time in a while, she wished she had one of her parents around. She wondered what her dad would do in this situation. He probably wouldn't have called Willard a dumb criminal, so there was that. She was just so… so… disappointed. Never before had either of her younger siblings destroyed someone else's property (excluding each other's). This wasn't some toy that got snapped. This was somebody's business. If some punk teenagers trashed Sweetwater, she didn't even know what she would do. Hopefully she would do the morally right, responsible thing, but she wasn't so sure.

Zoe laid there for almost the entire hour. She spent the time alternating between feeling sorry for herself, being pissed, and wracking her brain for how she should proceed. There were ideas but not many of them were good ones. Finally, she had to surrender to the unknown and hauled herself out of bed.

The talk didn't go well. Willard denied it vehemently, over and over again, but Zoe knew him well enough to spot a lie. Her only problem? She had no proof. Kip wanted to ground him. He had threatened to beat Willard's ass twice but Zoe was quick to shut that idea down real quick. In the end, Willard was sent to his room with no other consequences.

Dinner was a nightmare. It was so tense that Zoe thought the glassware would shatter from the force of it. Tallulah glared at Willard. Willard glared at Kip and Zoe. Zoe guzzled glass after glass of iced tea, desperately wishing it was whiskey all the while. That night, she went to bed feeling like a failure.

* * *

Samantha shifted from foot to foot on the Werner's front doorstep. She worried on her lip as she waited for someone to answer, resisting the urge to ring the bell again.

The door swung open. Tallulah's sister-cum-parental guardian grinned widely at her. Samantha didn't fully understand what that was all about. Tallulah didn't like talking about it – not that she blamed her.

"Hi, Zoe," she greeted.

"Sam," Zoe replied agreeably, smile widening.

If Samantha had to guess Zoe's age, she would say early to mid thirties. That didn't seem like the right answer but it was the closest she could get. Zoe acted like a Mom™ and that added a decade in Samantha's mind. However, the way Zoe dressed started messing up the math.

The high-waisted pants she was wearing were much tighter than what her own mother would wear. In fact, if Samantha tried to wear pants that tight, her parents would kill her. They also emphasized Zoe's already round hips and stomach. Samantha didn't think that was such a good idea.

Her hips weren't as wide as Zoe's but they had certainly been wider than Yasmine's. She tended to dress in a way that made her seem slimmer. Zoe didn't seem to do that at all. If anything, she emphasized the opposite. Samantha didn't exactly agree with this either. Luckily for both parties, she had been taught to keep those thoughts to herself.

Zoe stepped aside. Languidly she leaned against the the door and gestured for Samantha to enter. "The girls are already in the game room."

She offered Zoe a weak smile and moved past her.

As she went through the living room, she suffered a nasty look from Tallulah's little brother. What she had done to deserve such a look, she didn't know. She didn't find out. The man that was sitting on the couch with Willard tossed the remote at him and told him to pick something better to watch. She didn't recognize him. He looked like what she always imagined a drug dealer to look like though with his long hair and seven o'clock shadow (even though it was closer to noon) and heavy-lidded gaze. Samantha scurried past as quickly as she could.

The sounds of the Beach Boys drifted from the game room. She followed it down the hall. Occasionally a loud crack would accompany it. She peeked into the room. Moon was rifling through a box of CDs, head bobbing to the music, while Tallulah played pool.

Both of the girls looked up as she entered. "Hey," Tallulah said distractedly, knocking the red and cream ball into the side pocket.

"Hey. Who's that guy out there?" She asked, titling her head in the direction she had just come from.

Tallulah frowned. "Why? Did he bother you? He did, didn't he? I'll kick his ass. No – I'll get Zo to kick his ass. I told him very fucking specifically to leave my guests alone," she said darkly.

"No, no, no," she rushed to say. "I was just wondering who he was."

"That's her older brother," Moon informed her. "His name is Kip. Isn't he dreamy?"

Before Samantha could find a tactful way to disagree, Tallulah whipped around. She pointed the pool cue at Moon. "Don't you dare ever repeat those words in my presence. Ever."

Moon giggled. "But he's so cute!" She insisted.

"I mean it," Tallulah threatened, jabbing the stick for emphasis. "I'll kick you to the curb so fast it'll make that pretty head of yours spin."

Moon giggled again but went back to the CDs.

Looking only partially satisfied, she huffed and lined up for her next shot. If it ricocheted a little harder than strictly necessary, both Moon and Samantha were smart enough not to mention it.

"Do you have any hummus?"

Tallulah looked at her incredulously and demanded, "What do I look like to you – a complete backbirth? Of course we have hummus."

Moon's crystalline eyes sparkled in delight. "I'm so dying for a snack."

"Willard makes fantastic hummus," Tallulah declared, scrubbing blue chalk onto the tip of the cue. She blew sharply on her fingers before crouching into position. "Go ask him."

"Maybe I will," she said, two paces this side of suggestive. Samantha used to think that Moon's flirtatiousness was bad. Then she met Kingston.

Pointedly, Tallulah ignored her. Everyone knew that Willard had a huge crush on Moon. She could ask for lobster bisque and he would probably find a way to get fresh lobster. It was comical how he tripped over himself to meet her whims.

At the last second, Samantha ducked her head out into the hallway. "For me, too!"

"Okay," Moon sang back, the thin material of her A-line tank top bouncing as she jogged away.

A minute later, the whirring of a food processor came from the kitchen. Samantha and Tallulah immediately sought the other's gaze. They shared in an eye roll at the predictability of it all. He hadn't even pretended to think about it first.

Voices traveled from the hallway to the open door. "You're such a sweet kid," Moon gushed.

A nervous titter came next. "Well, you know – I mean, I don't know if you know, but my birthday is in a few weeks."

"Really?" Moon asked as she walked into the room empty handed. Her neck was craned so that she was still looking at the person she was talking with instead of where she was going. "How old will you be?"

Willard walked in. Not only did he have a large bowl of hummus, but a bag of corn chips and a veggie platter, too. The balancing act appeared precarious at best. That didn't stop him from puffing out his chest as he proudly answered, "Fifteen."

"Happy early birthday," Samantha chirped, hoping to make up for whatever slight she had done unto him.

The elated, puppy-dog eyes snapped over to her. His entire face fell. "Oh," he said stiffly. "I didn't know that you were going to be in here."

"I invited her over, dummy. Where else would she be?" Tallulah scoffed.

"Not here," he bit out, scowling at his sister.

She scoffed again and tossed her blonde hair. "Whatever."

For the life of her, Samantha could not remember what she could have done to make him so mad. "What's your deal?" She demanded, crossing her arms.

"My deal?" He demanded, gaping at her.

"Yeah," she shot back. The retort felt childish but – hey, when in Rome.

"You really want to know?" He snarled at her. "I don't like Miyagi-Do losers like you in my house."

Both hands flew up to Moon's mouth as she gasped. Tallulah screeched, "What the fuck, Willard?!" Samantha – well, she didn't know what to think.

"ZOE!" Tallulah continued to screech as she marched out of the room. "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! LEAVE ME ALONE, KIP. NO, I DON'T WANT YOUR HELP. ZOE! ZOE, I NEED YOU!"

A deer in headlights expression flashed across his faces before he schooled his features. "This isn't over, LaRusso," he hissed before he dumped what he was holding onto the card table and sprinted out of the room. "ZO, IT'S NOT TRUE! DON'T LISTEN TO HER!"

"Oh. My. God." Moon shook her head, astounded by what she had just witnessed.

Having not recovered fully from the events herself, Samantha could only mutter a vaguely distressed, "Yeah."

A few minutes and much shouting later, Tallulah stormed back into the room. "Idiots," she huffed indignantly. She slammed the door closed behind her and stuck up her nose with a large "Hmph!"

"What was that about?" Samantha demanded. Now that she had processed what had happened, she was livid.

Contrition and embarrassment warred on her face. Settling on exasperation, Tallulah shook her head. "My brother is an idiot. So is the other one, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. I just thought Willard had better manners than that," she said archly.

"Willard was such a sweet kid," she said. Her shoulders slump. She was saddened by the memory of that boy from not so long ago. Her frown hardened. "Cobra Kai changed him."

Tallulah's sympathy melted away. Her eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"He wasn't like that before he joined Cobra Kai," Samantha reminded her.

"Willard's always been a little shit," Tallulah said dismissively, gaze still sharply on Samantha. "I've said that from the beginning. Karate has actually made him more bearable, thank you very much."

"Well, I don't think-"

Tallulah raised her hand, cutting her off. "I don't care what you 'don't think'. If you think that I should choose between Miyagi-Do or Cobra Kai – between my best friend and my girlfriend – then you might as well leave."

Samantha pouted. What she needed was an ally. "Moon knows what I'm talking about. What about your ex-boyfriend? That guy with the Mohawk? He was one of the guys that attacked Demetri and Kingston last week."

"I broke up with Hawk a while ago," Moon said, choosing her words carefully.

"See?" She exclaimed, gesturing at their mutual friend as if that were answer enough.

Resolutely, Tallulah shook her head. "No."

"No?" Samantha echoed.

She shrugged. "No."

"You can't just say 'no' to something like that," Samantha objected, voice taking on a shrill note.

"I can, and I will," she informed her. "Now, either accept that this is a neutral zone, or get the fuck out of it."

Sam crossed her arms again. She sulked for about a minute before she finally asked, "Want to play Stripes and Solids?"

"I'm stripes," Tallulah replied smoothly, pulling the plastic triangle off a hook in the wall.

"Awww," Moon whined. "I want to play!"

"You can play winner," Samantha offered.

"What that translates to is: eat your hummus. You can have your turn as soon as I'm done wiping the board with Sam," Tallulah said with a smirk.

Samantha's eyes narrowed playfully. "Oh, you're on."

* * *

**For those of you that got the "Firefly" reference: shiny.**

**~Meow**


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